Michael Kelley
Hi! I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) for over 20 years having worked in a variety of clinical settings including community mental health, schools, substance abuse, and private practice in both CA and TX. I work with adults to (re)gain a healthy sense of self, improve emotional and functional well-being, and build healthy relationships. My approach is guided by experiential knowledge, systems thinking, relational connection, and spiritual awareness, helping clients explore the emotional and existential patterns shaping their lives so change is both effective and meaningful.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session, we will briefly review intake paperwork, then dive into the challenges (and opportunities!) that brought you into counseling. Through the counseling process, as the therapist, I come to understand your life experience and can begin to assist you in addressing issues that will help heal and facilitate your growth so that you may move forward in creating and actualizing the life you want.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
Having worked successfully with hundreds of clients over the years, one of my greatest strengths as a provider is my ability to really be present and hold space for people as they express and work through their issues, actively listening, asking clarifying questions, deeply considering the depth of their experience and concern, finding meaning and purpose, and supporting them along the way as they move into resolution.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
As a relational therapist, I love working with adults--young, old, and in between--who are motivate to take a deeper look into their lives... how they got to where they are, what they want to do better, what they are ready to leave behind, and where they want to go! Lastly, please note, while I specialize in working with couples in private practice, the current structure of the health insurance payments system for mental health does not support my work with couples who want to use their health insurance to pay for couples counseling. As a result, in terms of using health insurance to pay for therapy through Grow Therapy, I only work with adult individuals, not couples. You are welcome to sign-up through Grow Therapy for couples counseling at my out-of-pocket cash rate of $150/hour or contact me through my website www.kelleycounseling.com for more information about couples counseling in private practice. Thank you for your understanding, please let me know if you have any questions :) Michael
Location
VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a practical, evidence-based approach that helps clients identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to emotional distress. Therapy is collaborative and goal-oriented, equipping clients with concrete skills to improve mood, increase resilience, and create lasting change in daily life.
Relational
Relational Therapy focuses on how patterns of connection, attachment, and communication shape emotional well-being and repeat across important relationships. The therapeutic relationship itself becomes a living space to notice, repair, and transform these patterns, fostering greater authenticity, emotional safety, and intimacy both in and outside of therapy.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
Person-centered (Rogerian) therapy is a humanistic approach that emphasizes empathy, authenticity, and unconditional positive regard, creating a safe, nonjudgmental space where clients feel deeply heard and accepted. Rather than directing or interpreting, the therapist collaborates with the client, trusting their innate capacity for growth, insight, and self-directed change.
Strength-Based
A strengths-based approach centers on identifying and building upon each client’s existing abilities, values, and resilience rather than focusing solely on problems or pathology. Therapy emphasizes empowerment, hope, and practical strategies that help clients leverage their strengths to navigate challenges and create meaningful, sustainable change.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
Solution-Focused therapy is a future- and goal-oriented, collaborative approach that emphasizes what is working and how to build on existing successes. Rather than dwelling on problems, therapy focuses on clear goals, small achievable steps, and practical solutions that support meaningful change.
2 ratings with written reviews
May 22, 2025
Very good at taking my monologues summarizing them and guiding me how to use it to either solve a current situation or think about setting up principles for the future
Verified client, age 45-54
February 20, 2025
Michael is very helpful in helping me get through my daily life obstacles. He is very understanding and really cares.