“Life can be incomprehensible. But we work together so you can define your best life. Pain happens. Suffering is optional.”
—Colleen Kelly, Ph.D., MFT
I’ve spent the last 30 years in high-intensity rooms, often behind a desk, sometimes in refugee camps, other times in Malibu clinics—doing the real work of therapy. That work has brought me face to face with nearly every aspect of the human experience, and it’s shaped both the empathy I bring and the tools I use to help people move through what’s in their way.
Clients usually find me when the strategies that once helped them succeed begin to fail. When clarity, intimacy, or sobriety feels just out of reach, especially for people who are used to operating at a high level. They don’t need surface-level advice. They need someone who can hold complexity with compassion and precision.
Whether you're a founder facing burnout, a couple in crisis, or a parent working to break cycles that have lasted for generations, I help you build the emotional strength required to grow and stay grounded while doing it.
I’m direct, active, and clinically grounded. No fluff. No generic affirmations. Just real movement toward the life you want.
I currently live between Paris, Dundalk, and New York City. My husband, John Kelly, is a painter. As a lifelong student of the world, I travel often throughout Europe and beyond, both for work and to stay close to what continues to inspire and inform my practice.
