More on Kellie
The story.
Relationships and human connection are powerful things. My first taste of this was when I was 17 years old. I remember the moment vividly. My grandmother was sitting at my grandfather’s bedside after he just passed. She was in such grief and heartache. Other family members were in the room too, consoling one another. I decided to sit down next to her and hold her hand; no words, no expectations. I knew she needed someone to witness and recognize her pain. And, it was an honor to do that for her. As time went on, I started to see that I had an ability to hold someone when they were most vulnerable.
Then, about 10 years ago, I needed that same kind of presence as my husband and I worked through a very difficult life season, in the form of infertility and relationship struggles. I never seemed to find someone who met me at my core or saw the depth of my pain. I remember sharing my story with a therapist while staring at pictures of her children on the desk over her shoulder. “Why couldn’t she take those down for me, does she not SEE me?” I thought. Not that I'm infallible either, but I understand that holding people's stories requires a certain kind of care and thoughtfulness as we move through things together. All of these experiences led me to this moment today, giving my heart and soul to the art of therapy. My craft is my passion and I live for this stuff.
Oh, and dogs. I live for dogs, too.
My training.
I received my Master’s degree from Oakland University back home in Michigan in 2006 (Go Golden Grizzlies!). I was trained under some of the greatest professionals I have ever met, especially in the arena of career and human development. I worked for ten years with college students and young adults as a counselor and advisor before taking my work into the world of therapy within private practice. I've loved working with young adults and professionals from the beginning.
In my practice, I work from an intentionally integrative lens of conceptualization. First and foremost, I come from a humanistic background and the session is always about my client. My role is to walk alongside you as we become experts on YOUR life - not my pre-conceived idea of your life. I will never, ever tell you what to do. Our relationship will give us the foundation to do the work you seek to do. You are never a bother or burden to me. In addition, I often find a place to introduce cognitive behavioral and acceptance and commitment therapy principles in my sessions. Without realizing it, we can become so entangled in our thoughts and feelings that we lose sight of what is important to us. I give clients the tools to lean into the discomfort of mindfully allowing thoughts and feelings without judgment or reaction. Our aim is not to control our thoughts but to keep them from controlling us. Finally, I believe family systems therapy can benefit therapeutic process as we unpack your story and how you identify yourself. Our early experiences in our families, the roles we play and the stories we tell ourselves can make a significant impact on our sense of self. We all are complex creatures and because of this, I employ various theoretical lenses and therapeutic approaches to get to who you really are (not who you tell yourself to be) and what you want for your life.
My specialty.
My ten years of experience in the college setting has primed me to help young people after college. I think we sometimes view graduation as the finish line but I firmly believe it is the start line. We all go through some transformative stuff after college with that comes anxiety, confusion, and depression. I love to help people as they ask themselves, perhaps for the first time, big questions about life, career, and relationships. Our practice is highly focused on helping people gain deep self-understanding and support as they walk through the normative experiences of life and being their own person. Life does not always go as planned. With that, I have an additional specialty in holding space for our people that walk through infertility and childfree living. I can relate to the hardships of infertility and how it can be scary to honor your truth. Outside of these two areas, I am generally geeked to sit down with any young professional wanting to connect to his or her life. I invite you to join me as we unpack the things that no longer serve you and come up with a new way of being with your human self.
My commitment.
I promise to be a person who respects and honors your story. When you walk into our session, I want you to feel seen. To be heard. To know that someone is in your corner, walking this path with you. Our relationship will serve as the catalyst for your growth and discovery and therefore it will be of the utmost importance to me. There are a lot of impressions of what therapy is and what therapists do – I hope to show you that at its core, therapy is about removing obstacles to your best life and I promise to give you my all as we pursue that goal.