Kelsey O'Brien, MS

**Immediate Availability for Private Pay Low-Fee**

Life is complicated. Sometimes we can feel balanced, living life according to what we value and doing the things we want to do. Other times, we can feel off-balance, whether due a recent change, a previous trauma, or even several things happening all at one time, and it may feel as though nothing is going to change or improve. As a therapist, I cannot guarantee that I will have every answer to solve every problem. But I can guarantee that I am committed to helping individuals and groups of people navigate the challenges of one's life to find balance in their life and feel like their life is meaningful and hopeful.

I am dedicated to helping others through a person-centered awareness, strength-based perspective. and values-focused standpoint. I aim to get to know you, as a person, to learn about your experiences, interests, and any background that might be related to your current difficulties. I also aim to get to know the strengths you possess that have assisted you throughout your life. I also seek to learn about your values, the things you strive toward or hope to strive toward, in your life, and use these values as stepping stones when developing goals for treatment.

Living a "perfect" life is not possible for anybody, so my goal as a therapist is to help clients reach a point where they are living a life that is meaningful, exciting, and hopeful overall. I work with adults and children that may be struggling with decreased motivation, low-self-confidence, worry, sadness, grief, life changes, and/or trauma to provide them with skills and thought processes to help them live a meaningful life. I integrate elements from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) depending on the treatment that you and I decide would be best for you, as an individual, in reaching your goals.

About Me:

I am currently a doctoral student at Western Carolina University, and I am at Asheville DBT and Trauma Therapy as a practicum intern. I completed my master's degree at Western Carolina University as well. Prior to beginning my work at Asheville DBT and Trauma, I worked in community mental health centers, Blue Ridge Behavioral Health and MAHEC. At Blue Ridge, I worked with children that struggled with anxiety, depression, and ADHD along with their parents. At MAHEC, I worked with adults with previous trauma, anxiety, major life changes, and depression. I have research interests in caregiver burden and self-compassion as well as their impact on executive functioning, or how the brain supports goal-directed behavior. In my free time, I enjoy playing board games and video games, especially with friends. I also enjoy drawing and reading various books.