Counselor Profile

Melissa Strachan, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist in practice for over 23 years. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and French from Wheaton College in 1995, then graduated with her Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in 1999 from the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology (a program jointly sponsored by The College of William and Mary, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk State University, and Old Dominion University). She is currently completing the two-year Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program at the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute.

Dr. Strachan is passionate about her work; for her it is not just her career, but her calling. She believes that connecting with adolescent and adult clients in an authentic, respectful way is the foundation of good psychological treatment. She strives to provide a non-judgmental space for people from all walks of life.

Dr. Strachan’s areas of specialization are eating disorders and body image; she has published book chapters and journal articles in these areas as well as lectured nationally. As a clinician, she has worked in all levels of care, including residential treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, and in private practice. Dr. Strachan partners with clients to help them find emotional, behavioral, and spiritual recovery from their battles with food and their bodies.

In addition to work with disordered eating, about half of her practice is made up of clients facing a wide variety of struggles, to include mood disorders (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder), addiction and recovery, trauma and PTSD, attentional and cognitive problems, as well as adjustment issues (i.e. coping with divorce, death, family of origin issues, etc.).