Services

Work History

Social Work and School Counseling:

Starting out as a social worker at El Nido Services, I assisted, as pregnant and parenting teens navigated their lives. I supported them in finding needed services, in working with their partners and parents to make a happy home for their child, and to find the strength to trust themselves and their journey.
I was so fascinated and impressed with these young women that I wrote my Master's Thesis about my experiences with them.

At Big Sisters of Los Angeles, I matched volunteer women with young girls from disadvantaged homes. Making and maintaining good matches required a good recruitment process, intuitive interviewing and orientation programs, as well as regular monitoring of effectiveness via case management and event planning. It was beautiful to see so many of these relationships develop and blossom while providing meaning and joy to both.

During my many years as a school counselor, I worked at all levels, elementary, middle and high school.

In the school environment, I spent my days with hundreds of young people, met and worked with their families, and was available when they needed me. Here I was able to work with students individually and in groups and was available to provide crisis intervention, trauma response, anger management, problem solving, communication training, coping strategies, and stress management among many other things. This is where I was able to explore projective tools such as Sand Tray and ArtTherapy to help children get in touch with their feelings. This was also a time when I was able to experiment with imagery and relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and outdoor therapies.

Private Practice

How I work:

I established my private practice while working for the Los Virgenes School District as a school counselor about 15 years ago.

Over the years, I had been profoundly curious about how we maintain inner peace and confidence through the myriad of challenges and transitions we all face.

I have come to believe that this ability requires time and reflection and the gaining of awareness about the ways in which we push others away or sabotage ourselves.

I enjoy the experience of listening to people's stories and joining with them in their struggle and on their journey.

I employ cognitive behavioral approaches to help clients reframe their experiences and find more positive language to describe their feelings.

I can work psychodynamically with a client's permission, to go deep into past trauma and fear that is keeping them from reaching their full potential.

I also work existentially to explore the many predicaments and paradoxes we are confronted with in life. The challenges of freedom and responsibility, and the meaning, purpose, and value of human existence.

Sometimes all we need is some time and space to debrief.

Sometimes we need an experienced therapist to provide

perspective and strategies.

Either way.... Let me help.

Kelly Lowry, LMFT