Kelly Terry, PsyD
Hi, I’m Kelly. I’m so glad you’ve found your way here!
I specialize in working with adults who want to live with greater emotional freedom, clarity, and connection. I provide individual and couples therapy to people from all walks of life. I have extensive training and experience in working with trauma, anxiety, family conflict, life transitions, and relationships (with self and others). I hold my clients’ vulnerability tenderly and am honored to walk with them through painful or previously avoided feelings in order to come out the other side with more intention, steadiness, and freedom of choice in their lives. I practice from a foundation of psychodynamic and contextual behaviorism theories and integrate various other interventions depending on each individual’s needs and wants.
Before starting TBK Therapy, PLLC, I’ve worked in college counseling centers and community mental health clinics where I’ve specialized in working with individuals who are wrestling with the residual impacts of trauma, working to expand in big life transitions, and building emotional resilience. I’m passionate about guiding people through depth-oriented healing, moving through unacknowledged and confusing emotion, and creating relationships and lives they didn’t believe were possible for them.
Prior to my career in psychology, my initial path was in international development and cross-cultural connection. My training and experiences allowed me to spend time in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America where I learned the deep value of cultural humility, the importance of language and non-verbal communication, listening well, and the power of community.
These threads of exploration, empowerment, cross-cultural connection, and relational depth continue to shape my work as a psychologist today.
Practice philosophy - on being known
The name “TBK Therapy”—short for To Be Known—is rooted in a core principle of psychoanalytic thought: that we come into being through relationship, and that the longing to be known—to be truly seen, heard, and understood—is both a developmental need and a source of profound healing.
Yet for many, being known can feel just as vulnerable as it is vital—especially if your early relationships didn’t allow space for your unguarded, messy, silly, or fully expressed self.
I believe that healing unfolds in the presence of a safe, attuned other. In the context of a therapeutic relationship where you feel deeply recognized, it becomes possible to explore long-standing patterns, rework internal narratives, and reclaim your sense of agency. This kind of relational work opens the door to new ways of being—with yourself and with others.
Therapy is a courageous act of rebellion against those sticky self-limiting beliefs that are hard to shake off. It’s a gift to the parts of you that haven’t been heard or seen, and an investment in your future relationships (with yourself and others) and your future goals. Every moment of self-compassion and vulnerability breaks down hard-wired protective (and now sometimes painful) patterns to make way for something new to grow. It can be tender, challenging, transformative—and it’s a privilege to be with my clients through this process.
The concept of being known makes a frequent appearance across centuries in psychology, theatre, literature, science - from the pontifications of Aristotle, Sigmund Freud, or Melanie Klein to the big screen… it’s sought after, shyed away from, but is always powerful and transformative.
“I see you”
-Avatar
“You see me. You see me and you don’t look away.”
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower
“Being seen is the most terrifying yet most liberating experience in our lives.”
-Brene Brown
“It’s a beautiful thing to be known so deeply and still be liked.”
-Ted Lasso
“Loneliness is a sign you are in desperate need of yourself.”
-Rupi Kaur, poet
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
- Aristotle
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
-Carl Jung