Gabriel Kelly
Howdy! I'm Gabe! If you find yourself overwhelmed with thoughts that go by faster than you can catch them, or frozen in place in front of the many what-if's your mind has cooked up, you're in the right place! My focus lies in anxiety and related disorders. I am training to specialize in OCD, phobia, and panic disorder treatment, specifically in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP, or sometimes ExRP) in a manner that is compassionate, gentle, and effective. In addition, I also work to provide effective treatment to those struggling to enjoy things, feeling very low, or hopeless. I graduated from UCF in 2021 and right away fell into working with high-need clients with nonprofits Florida, but now have licenses in Indiana, Maryland, and Virginia as well. I have over 5 years of experience working as a therapist. As a disclaimer, I don't use AI notetaking in my practice. I believe in privacy first and foremost.
If you find yourself overwhelmed with thoughts that go by faster than you can catch them, or frozen in place in front of the many what-if's your mind has cooked up, you're in the right place!
First session
It's normal for the first few sessions of therapy to feel like a getting-to-know-you. I'll likely ask a lot of questions to get to know who you are, where you're at in life, how you got here and where you want to go, and I will also be happy to answer any questions you might have about what to expect from therapy. It's important that you feel comfortable with and respected by your therapist; if I'm not the one for you, I'd like to help you find the one.
Strengths
I like to make therapy feel like a space you can share anything without judgement. I meet you where you're at in your life, wherever that may be, and take the time to get to know where you want to be instead. I acknowledge both the inherent flaws in the world system that we live in that makes it difficult for us to move forward, and I am still dedicated to helping you find your life worth living anyways. I have found that clients who are unsure about therapy or are trying therapy for the first time tend to have a good experience with me.
Ideal clients
I'm best positioned to serve clients who find themselves afraid or worried about moving forward, who are tired of being paralyzed with anxiety and who want to learn how to let go; in addition I work well with clients who sometimes feel so down, low, or really 'blue', or sometimes even cranky and irritable. you My ideal client may have a lot of doubts and fears, and may not know where to start, but is at least willing to try something new. People who aren't sure about therapy have let me know that they've enjoyed the experience with me. I welcome clients who maybe don't know what they want to accomplish in therapy or haven't been to therapy before. Clients who prefer a warm, supportive style balanced with a little bit of humor tend to tell me that they've enjoyed sessions.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT to help clients explore the connections between what we feel, think, and do, so that clients can better understand themselves and navigate through their life challenges. CBT is evidence based for a wide range of concerns and is often considered the 'gold standard' of therapy as a result. CBT includes a wide range of interventions, but I tailor my interventions to each client's needs; no some clients prefer more skills-teaching and some clients prefer to talk it out. However you like to do therapy, CBT can be used to help you grow in new ways!
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
Exposure and Response Prevention (sometimes EXRP) is a modality related to CBT that's most effective for OCD, phobias, and panic disorder, and social anxiety. Whereas CBT is helpful for a broad variety of worries, ERP is better at targeting the cycle of obsessions-compulsion, or anxiety-avoidance. ERP is a structured treatment that's meant to reduce the level of anxiety or distress by intentionally exposing to feared situations, and prevention the use of rituals, compulsions, or avoidance in response to anxiety. Over time, structured avoidance retrains your brain to produce a less dramatic anxious reaction. For ERP, we do NOT start with the scariest situations first, and I don't believe in surprising you; we work on a hierarchy that you decide upon and start with reasonable, but still challenging situations first, and work our way up. I have recently completed training with UPENN's Center for Treatment and Study of Anxiety in ERP.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Man
Top specialties
Anxiety
Coping Skills
Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD)
Other specialties
Depression
Emotional Regulation
Life Transitions
Mood Disorders
Peer Relationships
Phobias
Self Esteem
Serves
Adults (18 to 64)
Individual Therapy
Doesn't specialize in
Addiction
Couples Counseling
Couples Counseling
Dissociative Disorders
Eating Disorders
Gambling Addiction
Learning Disabilities
Older Adults
Perinatal Mental Health
Sex Addiction
Sex Therapy
Licensed in
FloridaLicense MH23642
IndianaLicense 39005320A
MarylandLicense LC16637
Accepted insurance
Ambetter Health