Melanie Lee, LCSW, MDIV
My name is Melanie. I’m a licensed clinical social worker and minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I’m a writer and author that writes to encourage people in Christ.
I’m a preacher that preaches the gospel of truth and grace to aid in healing and deliverance.
And I’m a teacher that teaches strategies that help everyday people stay out of the pits of depression and anxiety.
Oh, you want more???
When life gives you lemons…
When I left my job in December of 2012 as a school-based therapist, I was burned out, depressed, and had no clue what I would be doing next.
From dealing with failed relationships, issues of abandonment and rejection, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, low self-esteem and more, I did not feel like I was a likely candidate to be anybody’s therapist or minister.
In 2016 I wrote the book, Thirty-One Reasons to Praise: Because life gets rough sometimes a 31-day devotion and journal designed to help people through their rough seasons with peace and joy by bringing them back to the promises of God.
I wrote the book because I needed it. I needed to find solid biblical reasons to praise, find joy, and maintain peace in and after painful seasons in my life.
That’s when I realized who I was called to!
I am called to the person who doesn’t have a safe space to share their concerns, shame, fears, difficulties, anger, and missteps. The one who is secretly dealing with low self-esteem, spiritual doubt and confusion, grief and loss, anxiety, and depression while serving your family, friends, businesses, and churches with a smile on your face but hurt in your heart.
As a clinical social worker and minister, I’ve always been told to hold it together and that I don’t have the luxury of taking a break and dealing with the mess under the hood. And I tried. I tried really hard until I just couldn’t anymore.
This is not how God intends for us to live. This is not the abundant living He promised us!
I never want anyone else I come into contact with to navigate difficult waters by themselves because they are trying to remain strong for others or to save face.
I wanted to give others what I needed most, a non-judgmental ear and a safe space to navigate through depression and anxiety so I wouldn’t feel that I had to ever go back to its depths.
Make lemonade AND cake!
I don’t care if the difficulties were external challenges beyond your control or your own missteps that got you into the situation you are in, everyone deserves a safe space to be heard and begin building again.
I believe each day we wake up we have a chance to arrive at a better version of ourselves than the day before. I’m so grateful that I am not the same overwhelmed and depressed person I was even just a few short years ago.
This can be your testimony too.
So, come on, it’s your turn!
Let’s begin to mend your thinking and improve your overall mental, emotional, and spiritual health together!
You don’t have to do this thing alone!
Ok, if you needed my clinical deets, here they are:
- I’m the owner of a Private Psychotherapy Practice, You Can Therapeutic Services.
- I graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with my Master’s Degree in Social Work in 2008 and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of California in 2012.
- I carry a valid Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC) to work with students in schools, utilizing the PPSC as a school-based clinician in Long Beach schools for five years.
- I specialize in depression, anxiety, and abortion recovery therapy. However, I also have over ten years of experience working with other disruptive disorders, substance use in middle school aged children, and working with families to improve functioning in the home.
- I have supervisory experience in the clinical setting and I’m active in the community providing counseling services, speaking at events, trainings, hosting workshops, and consulting at pregnancy centers to improve their interactions with the post-abortive population.
- I graduated from Azusa Pacific Seminary in 2019 with a Master of Divinity, Biblical Studies emphasis gaining the ability to integrate faith and mental health in a way that can bring total healing to each individual I work with.
Ok, that’s enough about me! I want to hear about you!
