Education & Academic Accomplishments
Undergraduate: Bachelor’s of Arts in Business Administration and Equestrian Science from William Woods
Graduate: Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Pre-doctoral Internship: McLean Hospital/ Harvard Medical School
Post-doctoral Fellowship: Center for OCD and Anxiety-Related Disorders at St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute.
Clinical Training & Interests
During her many years in the business world while she was raising her five children, she developed a love of teaching and program development which she carries forward with her to this day. As time passed, it became increasingly obvious to Kelly that her knack for cultivating connection was not served by the business world. She craved a fulfilling career that aligned with this passion and offered a better work/life balance so she could remain an active participant in the lives of her children. It was important to her to address the fear and hurt she heard, saw, and experienced in others, so back to school she went. She graduated from The
Chicago School of Professional Psychology after completing her training in the Chicagoland area in multiple treatment settings, including residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient levels of care addressing anxiety and trauma-related disorders in all of their forms. Her internship took her to St. Louis, where she also completed a two year postdoctoral residency at the Center for OCD and Anxiety-Related Disorders under the training of Alec Pollard within St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute.
You can expect an integrated, holistic, strengths-based approach if you work with Kelly, with techniques from CBT, ERP, DBT, ACT, IPNB, and even the eight limbs of yoga for those who are interested. She knows therapy has to work on many levels, starting with emotions that are too raw to process. She provides genuine kindness, warmth, and grounding to establish safety while working towards psychological flexibility and well-being. Kelly believes in the power of the human spirit and sees herself as a guide in help others tap into the natural healing potential inherent in each of us. She is a fierce proponent of social justice and community outreach and was a founding member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee at her previous workplace.
Getting to Know Kelly
Kelly comes to us via the midwest, including Chicago where she has spent the majority of her life. Before training in psychology, Kelly rode for Olympic rider Colonial John Russell in San Antonio and still loves riding today. Kelly is an avid outdoors person. You will likely find her enjoying nature–preferably near water–a major factor in moving out of the midwest! When not exploring the great outdoors, you might find her trying new recipes or curled up by a fire with a good book and hopefully snuggled up with one of her cats.
“…we have the power to look deeply at our fears, and then fear cannot control us.” — Thich Nhat Hanh