My clients are adults, couples, children, and adolescents who are dealing with major issues that have ground their lives to a halt, as well as individuals who feel stuck in their life for reasons that they may not yet understand or be able to articulate. They may describe feeling anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, tearful, and disconnected from themselves. While therapy can feel like an overwhelming step, it is a brave step towards claiming, or perhaps, reclaiming your life, and it helps. Parents can feel more empowered, couples can feel more connected, and children and adolescents can feel better about themselves and their futures.
Life can present us with a myriad of struggles and we each react to these struggles both uniquely and generally.
WHO I WORK WITH
ADULTS & COUPLES
In adults and couples the struggles might be different. Depression, anxiety, unspoken trauma and unrevealed negative feelings can take their toll on a marriage, a family and the individual. Thoughts and feelings can affect the perception of ourselves in a negative way and manifest in a variety of unhelpful thoughts, moods and habits. The painful consequences of depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, and relationship issues can affect our jobs, families and relationships and most importantly how we feel about ourselves in our daily lives.
CHILDREN & ADOLESCENTS
In children and adolescents natural developmental changes can seem unsettling and confusing. If compounded by relationship issues with peers, parents, and teachers it can result in anxiety and depression for the child as well as the parents or caregivers. Often children and adolescents dealing with anxiety and depression are the result of family issues, negative body image, confusion about their place in their world and other negative feelings. In children and adolescents sometimes these struggles can manifest in more than just depression and anxiety but through thoughts or actions of self-harm and phobias.
MY APPROACH
I specialize in treating adults and adolescents with anxiety, depression, grief and loss, and mood and personality disorders. My approach is informed by Humanistic and Existential Therapy, Attachment Theory, and principles of Cognitive-Behavioral therapy. I specifically use CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to address negative thinking, compulsive behaviors and phobias.
Whether it is working with couples, adults, children or adolescents my approach is always the same, to meet the patient where they are through compassion and honesty. I believe in being direct but supportive and void of any judgment or condescension. This approach allows for the formation of a strong therapeutic bond between myself and couples, families or individual clients and lays the foundation for the transformative process to begin to take shape. My clients have shared that they are often surprised by how comfortable and easy our work together can feel. As clients feel more comfortable, they are more able to explore the deeper reasons for seeking therapy, they are more able to articulate what changes they wish to make, and then together we are more able to build effective strategies to help clients attain the lives they want. Therapy is a collaborative process, and we work as a team to treat the issue.
MY BACKGROUND
I am licensed in Connecticut with 8 years of professional work experience. I received my Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology with a Specialization in Children and Adolescents from Antioch University Los Angeles. I did my post graduate clinical work at Family Service Agencies in Los Angeles and Connecticut where I worked as a school based therapist in the day while seeing adults, couples and families in the evening.
Additional areas of focus: Abandonment, Aging and Geriatric Issues, Attachment issues, Blended Family Issues, Body image, Caregiver issues and stress, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Dependent Personality, Divorce and separation, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, Fatherhood Issues, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Hospice and End of Life Counseling, Infidelity, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Mood disorders , Panic disorder and panic attacks, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Self-love, Sex Addiction, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues
Clinical approaches: Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Existential Therapy, Gottman Method, Mindfulness Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy
CT LMFT 3020
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Michael Kelly. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Mike Kelly made me feel accepted within the first ten minutes of the first voice chat I had with him. I would recommend him to any person especially those that are on the fence of whether they should receive help or not. Mike is very relatable and has been a pleasure to speak with. Helped me a lot.
Written on Aug 21, 2023 after therapy with Michael for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, and adhd