Licensed to practice in California and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Family Conflict, Depression, Life Transitions and 9 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
Hi! I’m Dr. Kelly Horton, a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience helping people reach their goals related to greater peace, healthier relationships, self-understanding, emotional balance, and personal growth. My journey into psychology and the field of therapy began with curiosity about the “whys” of human behavior—why people respond the way they do, what helps some people become resilient, and how healing relationships are built after trauma or dysfunction. Are you feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward? I work with adults and couples who are seeking greater clarity, connection, improved communication, and emotional balance. Whether you are navigating anxiety, life transitions, relationship stress, trauma, or patterns that no longer feel sustainable, therapy can offer a supportive space to better understand yourself and your relationships. Together, we’ll explore the patterns that may be keeping you stuck, strengthen communication and coping skills, and create a path forward that feels supportive, practical, and meaningful. I’m passionate about helping clients understand themselves more deeply, strengthen connection, and break cycles that no longer serve them.
Your first session is a chance for us to begin getting to know each other and talk about what brings you to therapy. It’s normal to feel uncertain at first. We’ll move at a pace that feels comfortable, build trust over time, and work together one step at a time.
My approach to therapy is compassionate, collaborative, and grounded in helping you better understand yourself while building practical tools for healing, growth, and greater emotional balance. I strive to create a supportive space where clients feel heard, respected, and understood. At times, I may use humor, anecdotal stories, and real-life examples to help illustrate concepts, make the work feel relatable, and support meaningful insight and change. My communication style is warm, direct, and collaborative. I strive to create a space where you feel heard, respected, and safe to speak openly. I listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, and offer compassionate, non-judgmental reflections to support insight and growth.
My ideal clients are individuals and couples who are navigating anxiety, depression, family conflict, life transitions, peer relationship concerns, and interpersonal relationship challenges. Life transitions may include moving from student life into the professional world, shifting from living with family to living independently, adjusting to new roles or responsibilities, or trying to find your footing during a period of change. I work with people who may feel stuck in old patterns, overwhelmed by the demands of daily life, or unsure how to create healthier connections with others. I also work with couples experiencing communication difficulties, emotional distance, or the feeling that they have become bogged down by the day-to-day responsibilities of life and have lost their spark. Together, we focus on improving communication, rebuilding connection, strengthening emotional intimacy, and creating more meaningful ways of relating to one another. For individuals, therapy may focus on building healthier friendships and romantic relationships, understanding relationship patterns, strengthening self-worth, and learning how to choose partners who share their goals, values, and vision for the future.
Other specialties
I identify as
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, to help clients better understand the connection between their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationship patterns. Often, the way we interpret situations can influence how we feel and how we respond. In therapy, we work together to identify unhelpful thought patterns, challenge beliefs that may be keeping you stuck, and develop healthier, more balanced ways of thinking and coping. CBT is practical and skill-based, which means we focus not only on insight, but also on tools you can use in everyday life. This may include learning how to manage anxiety, reduce rumination, improve emotional regulation, shift negative self-talk, set boundaries, and respond to stress more effectively. I use CBT in a collaborative and personalized way. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, we explore what is most relevant to your life, your relationships, and your goals. Together, we can build strategies that help you feel more grounded, confident, and able to make meaningful changes.
Culturally Sensitive Therapy
I use a culturally sensitive approach by recognizing that each client’s identity, family background, values, lived experiences, community, and cultural context shape how they understand themselves, relationships, stress, and healing. I do not assume that one approach fits every client. Instead, I work to understand what matters to you and how your experiences have influenced the way you see yourself and move through the world. In session, this may include exploring the impact of family expectations, cultural values, generational patterns, communication styles, identity, belonging, trauma, discrimination, or experiences of feeling misunderstood. I strive to create a respectful and collaborative space where clients can discuss these issues openly and where their experiences are heard without judgment. My goal is to help clients feel seen and respected while developing tools that align with their values, strengths, and goals. Culturally sensitive therapy allows us to honor who you are while also supporting growth, healing, and healthier relationships.
Attachment-based
Attachment-based work can sometimes feel vulnerable, tricky, or even scary because it often involves exploring emotional needs, past hurts, and relationship patterns that may have developed over time. I work to provide an environment of safety, acceptance, and compassion so that clients feel supported as they begin to understand these patterns more deeply. It is also important to me that you remain in charge of the pace of this emotional work. We move at a pace that feels comfortable for you, pause when needed, and take breaks when the work feels overwhelming. My goal is to help you explore these experiences with support and care, while building greater emotional safety, self-understanding, and healthier ways of connecting with others.
Trauma Informed Care
I use a trauma-informed approach by recognizing that painful, overwhelming, or unsafe experiences can shape how people think, feel, cope, and relate to others. Rather than asking, “What is wrong with you?” trauma-informed care asks, “What happened to you, how did you learn to survive, and what do you need now to feel safer and more whole?” In session, this means we work at a pace that feels manageable and respectful. You are not required to share details before you are ready, and we focus on building safety, trust, coping skills, and emotional regulation before moving into deeper trauma-related work. My goal is to help you feel supported and empowered, not overwhelmed. Trauma-informed therapy may include exploring triggers, relationship patterns, boundaries, self-protection strategies, shame, grief, anxiety, and the ways past experiences continue to affect present-day choices and relationships. Together, we work to build greater self-understanding, reduce distress, strengthen resilience, and create healthier ways of connecting with yourself and others.