Kelly Arensen

As humans we are hard-wired for relationship with others, and yet we so frequently find that it is in our most intimate and important relationships that we experience the deepest injury, disappointment, and confusion.  How exasperating and painful it can be to discover that in our most earnest attempts to find the intimacy and connection we are seeking, we seem to only make disconnect and conflicts worse.  We can find ourselves increasingly stuck in these painful cycles.    

I am passionate about helping clients – whether individuals, couples, or families – break free from negative patterns of interaction and to grow towards greater personal freedom and a stronger experience of connection and intimacy with others.  

I create a place of safety to examine places of stuck-ness and pain as opportunities for healing and growth.  Clients move from a helpless feeling of life happening “to them” to discovering the power and freedom to author new chapters for their lives in alignment with values and goals.    

My strengths lie in my ability to stand with others in the simultaneous beauty and messiness of life, understanding the layers of complexity while lending patience, compassion, and curiosity to the therapy process.  I specialize in the issues of depression, anxiety, somatic conditions, identity questions, grief, loss, and life transitions.  I also work with those navigating co-parenting, step-parenting, and other forms of blended families.  

I orient in the world from my own Christian faith and draw from it a deep reservoir of compassion in my therapy work.  I integrate faith into the therapy process for clients who seek it, but I also welcome clients of any faith or non-faith backgrounds and always operate from a place of non-judgment, seeking to best understand and respect meaning-making through each client’s unique experiences and worldview. 

My own experience of parenting two teenagers in the challenging and rapidly-changing landscape of our culture today, and of having lived and worked for a decade in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, lends an ease and capacity for open-minded and accepting work with clients from many different backgrounds. 

Insurance: In-network with BCBS PPO, Blue Choice