Melissa Kulick, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist

08/25/2023

AND is probably the most important and powerful words in our language.

This was an extremely important realization during my healing journey. I wanted to make space for forgiveness, empathy, and repair in my own relationship, but found it extremely hard to get past anger and grief.

Allowing myself to say- ‘It’s okay to acknowledge your parents did the best they could and realize- at the same time- it was still traumatic for you’ really helped me. Separating those two thoughts has allowed me to process them differently, yet accepting that those can coexist.

Repeat for yourself, ‘It’s okay to acknowledge __________ did the best they could and realize- at the same time- it was still traumatic for me.’ 

05/03/2022

Abortion is a human right!

Abortion is a human right. At Charis we fight for the dignity of all people to have true information to make good choices about our bodies and our lives from birth to death. The leaked ruling is not yet law: we must fund and support our local, Southern, reproductive justice organizations and make our voices heard NOW!

We encourage you to follow and support the work of these organizations: Feminist Women's Health Center - Atlanta Access Reproductive Care-Southeast, Inc. URGE AtlantaSisterSong SisterLove, Inc Spark Reproductive Justice Now Women Engaged Yellowhammer Fund NAPAWF-AtlantaACLU of Georgia Amplify GA Collaborative National Network of Abortion Funds

10/10/2021

So well-said. We don’t really get to be ‘open to this but not to that’. It’s much more that we’re either open or closed in a given moment, period.

07/20/2020

If I’m not the right therapist for you, I’m happy to help connect you with someone who is.

05/23/2020

This is why we do our work.

05/03/2020

Self-kindness and self-compassion are probably the only *worthy*

03/25/2020

A valuable tool from the teachings of Ayurveda for training and strengthening our diaphragm.

03/20/2020

We are all going through A LOT right now. Many of us are still in the ‘scrambling’ stage of evolving our new, temporary, normal. There is a lot to ‘do’ right now. And we are being called on to ‘be’ a lot right now. For ourselves and for others. I see you. And I’m doing my own work to see me in the most honest, accepting and beneficial ways.

We all need ways to be feeding ourselves now in safe ways. I went for a walk yesterday and really took the time to notice nature. I have a love for nature photography, let myself be with the flowers and leaves as they did their dances with light and shadow, and captured image after image. In those moments I was connected with my heart, creativity, nature...all things unchanged by any virus. I lived being OK; lived from the place that knows it is OK. We all need those moments, and to be able to carry them with us, tethering us like a sacred thread to our okay-ness.

I hope you can find those moments, even make them plentiful. And I’d love to help you keep finding them and holding securely (but not grasping) to those sacred threads. Ease of being in any given moment can be just one breath away. From this space, we are more prepared for and capable of doing the work that is being asked of us.

I have moved my practice completely to online (through Zoom, an easy to use video app) and phone sessions and am available to anyone in the state of GA. I have also opened up several deeply reduced fee slots to be able to work with those struggling financially. I’d love to be a part of your journey right now.

We will get through this together.

Let’s all stay safe and nourished.

03/06/2020

09/13/2019

When we are children we can only process either/or, all or nothing, good or bad. When trauma of any kind happens, it’s why children most typically process it by assigning ‘bad’ to themselves. Making a parent or trusted other ‘bad’ is not experienced as an option; that person/people must remain ‘good’, so the bad gets placed on themselves. No other option exists. And there is not yet the discrimination between behavior and identity/worth.

And this is true even for all the ‘little t’ traumas and imperfections that are inherent in humans and our interactions. There is a strong pull to compartmentalize into good and bad; if I know what box to put you in, then I can feel more confident in my decisions about how I relate to you.

It is a developmental capacity to learn the truth of ‘and’. Of coexisting, non-invalidating truths. It’s probably one of the most challenging maturational skills we are asked to achieve. To take “on the one hand” and “on the other hand” and recognize both hands exist and belong to the same body - and be able to process that complex truth. Sometimes it’s the work of a lifetime. Or longer.

08/28/2019

It is one way we create “interrupted grief” and prolong our suffering.

06/22/2019