https://www.buckeyepsychology.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-12 https://www.buckeyepsychology.com/about daily 0.75 2026-01-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/af0a0553-5c6f-4b9d-9761-d6e9a5eb8b36/AM8A2388.jpg Our Story - The children of immigrants and a North Carolina native, Peter and Melissa grew up in Ohio and their lives intersected at The Ohio State University. Both were compelled to pursue careers as Counseling Psychologists for deeply personal reasons related to identity, acting in service of others, and their own experiences with mental health. “Buckeye” Psychology represents those early formative years that brought them together. It is also a call of respect to those elders, mentors, and peers who supported their growth along the way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/2b10a64d-58e8-4f8a-af1d-21fd3152f0e1/AM8A0328.jpg Our Story https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/2086cd7b-8814-42c1-9c5d-a580edc70ec5/AM8A2494.jpg Our Story https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/da9584e8-3fd3-400a-9fea-f7b3059f0f57/AM8A1525.jpg Our Story https://www.buckeyepsychology.com/services daily 0.75 2025-01-08 https://www.buckeyepsychology.com/crisis-services daily 0.75 2024-02-14 https://www.buckeyepsychology.com/about-1 daily 0.75 2025-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/d9f458fc-cc7e-4ce2-9a78-1ab85bd30e06/received_578758686772610.jpeg Decolonize - Decolonizing psychotherapy is an important aspiration in the service of all clients. Our goal is not to invert power from oppressor to oppressed, but instead to learn how to share power across communities and one’s lived experiences. When we say “decolonize”, we emphasize the idea of “unlearning”. It is equally if not more important to unlearn what we have internalized about power, monocultural bias, and the hierarchies between identity groups as it is to learn a new frame for thinking about ourselves and others. Below are the ways Buckeye Psychology focuses our intent to bring decolonizing/unlearning practices to our work as Psychologists and within the therapeutic relationship. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/ad02d949-7d41-4623-8d5e-5e26cdc0fce8/flowerkid4.jpg Decolonize - All fi elds start somewhere, and “modern” Psychology originates from European (especially Germany) and U.S. philosophy. These early scholars had their own culture-bound ideas about The Self, individualism, healthy identity development, and what constitutes the “right” theory of the mind. As such, our profession, in training and in practice, is dominated by these ideas. While valuable, this has also created a serious limitation in our understanding of people, communities, psychopathology, and the human condition. To only be able to understand clients and help them understand themselves from a Western view is ineffective at best and harmful at worst. Buckeye Psychology is committed to self-study and experiential learning to expand our understanding of the human condition beyond the Western view. When appropriate, we also assist our clients in expanding their understanding of others as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/3b074b46-a732-4d3c-8a47-ed5d68394d0f/flowerkid3.jpg Decolonize - As a developing human being, it is both natural and necessary for our families, peer groups, and society at large to influence how we perceive ourselves, those unlike us, and ideas of “right” and “wrong”. We also learn directly and indirectly about hierarchies, who should have power (and who shouldn’t), and why this order to the world is unimpeachable. When relevant, Buckeye Psychology uses the lens of unlearning to directly challenge the belief that how power is organized is unimpeachable. This has a surprising amount of significance within client’s relationships, their world of work, identity, and more. We believe using this lens does not take away from a client’s goals, but instead can greatly enrich them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/47254f2f-8e5c-4684-b0cd-a95fdebc03be/flowerkid2.jpg Decolonize - One of the most potentially devastating aspects of psychotherapy from a Western perspective is an overemphasis on individualism. While ideas related to individualism are frequently relevant to therapy (personal freedoms, self agency, self belief, a focus on “I”, etc.), doing so in a way that does not adequately account for institutional and systemic realities (power dynamics, long perpetuated status quos, system level inequities, etc.) often will create a gap of understanding and empathy between the client and therapist. In some cases, a client may even feel that the therapist is perpetuating the same perspectives that make them feel misunderstood and trapped. At Buckeye Psychology, we value individual agency, but only when contextualized within the reality of sociological forces that may enhance or impede that agency. We also at times help clients unlearn internalized ideas around personal agency that lead to misplaced self criticism and blame. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/096465bc-f0aa-498a-80af-9aebb2be40eb/flowerkid.jpg Decolonize - Decolonizing Psychology as therapists involves an aspect of activism. Outside the therapy space, we seek to participate in the subversion of institutions in as constructive of ways as possible. Much of this work is informal, but also takes place in more visible forms. With clients, being a co-conspirator means being more than a silent ally. As co-conspirators, we attempt to be more vocal and visible for clients and the challenges faced within their communities. Advocacy, when appropriate, is something we highly value. In turn, we have found that both teaching clients to be more powerful self advocates and how to think like a co-conspirator have greatly benefited clients’ therapy experience. https://www.buckeyepsychology.com/melissa-bio daily 0.75 2026-01-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/fa68f34d-8a6c-4bdb-b7b0-e000919c4334/AM8A1769.jpg Melissa Bio - I have experience working with a wide range of concerns including anxiety and stress, depression and other mood disorders, relationships and interpersonal issues, adjustment and acculturation, body image and eating concerns, identity development, and academic issues. I consider myself a generalist and am comfortable treating a variety of presenting issues; however, I am particularly interested in helping clients explore concerns related to perfectionism, sexual orientation, romantic relationships, and racial or ethnic identity development. My goal as a therapist is to provide a safe, nonjudgmental environment in which individuals can share their concerns and develop new insights about themselves and others, challenge unhelpful ways of thinking, or learn new coping tools and strategies. https://www.buckeyepsychology.com/peter-bio daily 0.75 2026-01-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/14360127-1475-4c0f-8c0a-0a52407c3144/AM8A2897.jpg Peter Bio - People pursue counseling for all kinds of reasons. Often, they feel like no one understands them, they are uncertain about how things can improve in their life, or they simply feel a motivation to explore themselves, grow, and change. Others want to be heard, to have their feelings validated or challenged, or just feel lost and in need of clarity and guidance. All of these reasons are important and should not be diminished. As I partake in my own journey toward personal growth and healing, I realize that we may all feel out of place, misunderstood, or invisible in different ways. My goal is to help people feel seen, understood, and validated for these are some of the most important feelings we can experience. As a therapist, I believe in your uniqueness and want to connect to it so that the experience can be as personalized as possible. I also hold respect and admiration for the courage it takes to pursue change. Even as we fret or suffer, it is almost always easier to sit idle and not move toward change because growth can be scary. While I do believe a therapist can provide connection, guidance, and insight into one’s problems, I think all clients have within them a set of personal strengths that can be utilized toward their goals. As such, helping clients feel more emotionally empowered in their lives is very important to me. We all carry in us the potential for happiness, peace, self-love, and wisdom, and I hope to be someone who can help you feel that those are all things you deserve. Professionally and personally, I have a passion for social justice work and am driven to help all people successfully navigate an increasingly complex multicultural society. As technology shrinks the world, we are exposed to an ever more diverse set of people, communities, ideas, and perspectives. Whether we are a part of historically privileged or oppressed communities, all of us are working to find our place in this neo-diverse society. More and more, I see this challenge represented in my clients as they seek understanding of their issues, strengths, and identities. My clinical interests and experience are broad and cover anxiety, depression, adjustment, stress management, trauma, social challenges, relationships, conflict management, family dynamics, anger, grief, self-esteem/worth, sleep hygiene, career exploration, identity development, existential concerns, and many others. I have particular interest in cultural and identity factors with expertise integrating race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression and identity, socioeconomic class, spiritualism, men’s issues, and women’s issues into the work. I work primarily with older adolescents and adults and look to provide growth experiences through individual, group, and couples therapy. With couples, I like to help illuminate the needs of each individual while gaining clarity on unhealthy patterns that have developed around the ineffective expression of those needs. I also like to focus on increasing intimacy, partnership, and an understanding that both individuals are seeking the same thing – love and acceptance. Multicultural counseling, Interpersonal Process Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are my primary influences but I also incorporate Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, Solution-focused Therapy, Existential Therapy, and many other interventions into my practice. If you have any questions about my clinical experiences or work with specific communities please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to respond. https://www.buckeyepsychology.com/chris-bio daily 0.75 2026-01-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61512621a56f9d31cf681a7a/8919d098-a836-4d26-8f16-a64872323895/AM8A3375.jpg Chris Bio2 - My approach to treating psychological distress is gentle and authentic as I help clients interrupt unhelpful patterns present in thought processes and interactions with others. My intention is for clients to have a different experience of themselves and others as they gain insight into and learn more about how to establish different/healthier patterns. I also believe in the importance of offering culturally sensitive and responsive care which is tailored to and provided to each client. Identity development and exploration of identity are key as we develop and grow. As I work with clients, all identities are held in the highest regard while we explore together any aspect of self which might need examination. I hold a culturally humble/anti-racist stance while making room for open discussions between myself and my clients regarding differences and similarities between us. My goal is to provide a culture of care conducive to open and authentic intervention as clients navigate the world via their cultural/personal lenses. I also have specific interests in working with clients who are experiencing trauma, relationship distress (romantic, familial, friendship, professional, and academic), depression, anxiety, identity concerns, low self-esteem, low self-compassion, grief and loss. I also provide couples therapy. Additionally, providing psychotherapy services to fellow mental health professionals is a passion of mine. Finally, I am passionate about helping clients understand how psychotherapy changes the brain. My intent is to offer concrete strategies aimed at providing insight along with distress relief. Far too often, we attempt to manage painful emotions and thoughts on our own. You don’t need to struggle alone. I am ready to join you as you work to interrupt the patterns which no longer serve you.