Introduction

Let me introduce myself!

Introduction:

Hi there! My name is Kellie Murry, and I'm a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor practicing in Burbank, CA. I know finding the right therapist can be hard, overwhelming, frustrating, and exhausting. Chances are, you've already come to the end of yourself, recognize you need help, but not sure where to find it- and all of the profiles you've searched through on Psychology Today read pretty much the same- most everybody treats everything with every kind of therapy. So, I thought I might be able to cut through the noise and offer a bit of an introduction of who I am as a person, and as therapist.

Origin Story

I was born and raised in a small town called Puyallup, WA. (Yes, this is hard to pronounce unless you're from Washington). I was born into a family that was supportive, loving, hard working, and created a mostly safe introduction to this world. But it wasn't all perfect. Like most families, my parents did the best they could with what they had, which sometimes meant there was anger, outbursts, stonewalling, coldness, and high standards that were difficult to meet. These early interactions created an inconsistent sense of love and belonging that I've had to work through and find healing in my own as an adult. Having gone through these experiences has allowed me to learn how to have compassion not just for my younger self, but for the people I encounter every day. I have come to believe that people are doing the best they can with what they have- even if that means they're hurting themselves or others because they just don't have the tools or skills to know how to get through this world. Which leads me to...

Why I Became A Therapist

I grew up knowing I always wanted to explore and see the world- venture out into the world, specifically California (I'm a beach girl at my core!) and saw college as my outlet to make it happen. I attended a small Bible College, Life Pacific College (it's been renamed to Life Pacific University) in San Dimas, CA and studied the Bible and even pursued Pastoral Licensing. After graduation, I worked at a church in Burbank, CA and fell in love with the small town charm in a big city. After a few years, and a whole bunch of reasons why, I recognized this wasn't "it" for me and I needed a change. Not sure what else to do, I returned back to Washington, and had a "quarter-life crisis" in search of what was next. I like to refer to these years as my "fumbling" years, which eventually led me to work for a foster care agency as a Visitation Supervisor. This position put me in places I could never have dreamed of- supervising birth parents and their children who have been placed in foster care. I saw the weight and pain of this broken system had on everybody- with little hope- and I knew I wanted to be a part of it- just not in the traditional social worker way. I wanted to become a place where the children who were placed in confusing, conflicting and inconsistent circumstances could go and find a sense of hope and healing. I wanted to become part of the solution of healing, rather than just letting the system still be "the system." I spoke with several people who were therapists (or counselors depending on the state) and recognized this was "IT!" This was what I was meant to be: A therapist.

My Therapist Journey

After this realization, I went to work finding the right Graduate School program, with the right accreditation that would open the doors to help me help people. I attended Colorado Christian University, in Lakewood, CO, online, and graduated the end of 2017. Due to state licensing requirements, and my Beach Girl Core, I realized I wanted to move back to California as I perused licensure and take the next steps in my career. After graduating, I was set to get my required 3000 supervised hours as quickly as possible, and pulling from my family's deeply rooted work-hard-mentality, which meant often working 3-4 different jobs at a time. Working in private practices, adolescent rehab centers, community mental health clinics all provided opportunity to continue to grow my skills and experience with a variety of people. I became licensed in Fall of 2020, and launched my own practice in January 2021.

Who I Am As A Therapist

With all the variety of experiences, training, clients, and supervisors, it led me to who I am as a therapist today: someone who cherishes and values the relationship that occurs within the therapist room. I hold it as a high honor that someone would trust me with the deepest, and sometimes darkest, parts of their story, and look to me to help in their journey. I specialize in treating anxiety and trauma mainly because these are areas of my own life I've walked in healing, and because I see both of these areas impact so many people in so many ways. I know how when bad things happen to us (however you define bad) it can feel like that now is the truth and new narrative that takes over your whole life. Whether that happened in childhood, or just yesterday, it can became the dominant theme in your life that steals from you living in the present, taking control of your life and finding freedom.

And here's where I come in. My job is to never judge you (it's illegal for me to do so!). My job is to offer a safe space where you can begin to explore the patterns and themes this story has left and find ways of alternating that meaning to be more helpful, more empowering, and become just a chapter of your life, not your whole life.

I'm a learner and a huge reader- I usually have 4-5 books going at a time! And I love to share all that I've learned in trainings and books and pass them along to everyone I know- especially my clients. I want to help you understand what's going on for you, why you do and think the way you do, how to learn from your emotions rather than being controlled by them, and find new forms of freedom and healing! When I'm asked about what type of therapy I do, or what modalities I use, I struggle to answer this because I really try to pull from any and all kinds of therapy in order to best help my clients. I use the techniques I've learned from CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) to help explore your thought patterns and behaviors. I utilized helpful techniques from DBT (Dialectic Behavioral Therapy) and Mindfulness practices to increase your awareness of how to regulate your own body and nervous system. I also am now EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) trained, which is a special type of therapy that allows for deeper reprocessing of repressed or frozen memories. All of which is built upon the foundation of trauma informed care. Again, I believe trauma is not just what happens to you, but how your mind, body, emotions, behaviors, and beliefs react to what has happened to you.

"But you're a Christian..." You're right- I am. So how this plays out in my work with all of my clients- Christian and non-Christian- is I'm still me and I let you lead on how/if you want any kind of spirituality brought into your sessions. Sometimes it's helpful just knowing I have the same faith as you. Sometimes, people don't want anything to do with religion or spirituality. And that's okay! Remember- therapy isn't about me, it's about you and it's my job to make sure you feel the safest to explore all you need to explore and get the healing you need for your life!

So if you're looking for someone who brings her full self to each and every session, someone who understands the "need" to be perfect and do it right, someone who gets what it's like to be a Christian while also trying to navigate the complexities of suffering and the Bible, then I just might be the therapist you're looking for. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see if I could be the therapist you've been looking for!