Hi, My name is Kel Smith!
Are anxiety and outdated embodied patterns holding you back? Do you value self reflection and personal growth but find executive dysfunction and other ADHD symptoms getting in your way? Do you care a lot about your connections and how you show up in the world?
I support people in deepening understanding of themselves and reclaiming choice by spending intentional time being curious about what’s coming up in their bodies from moment to moment in a curious and nonjudgmental environment. I approach this work with a lifelong interest in how we connect to ourselves, one another, and the world around us.
I am a somatic therapist, artist, trans woman, and facilitator of spaces for people to indulge in their aliveness.
I grew up in upstate New York, where the harsh winters and cold kindness of the North East shaped me into a tenacious, compassionate, and assertive cheerleader for people’s efforts towards living authentic and fulfilling lives.
I take an active role in my work with clients and am deeply passionate about my work.
What is somatic therapy?
I describe somatics as a way to deepen our understanding of the wisdom that our bodies have to share with us. Somatic therapy is an invitation to be curious about and present with the ways our bodies carry past experiences.
We can explore how our memories may live in our joints. We can learn how our feelings may inhabit certain muscle patterns or tensions. Somatic therapy recognizes as much of our physical being as we can or choose to, and welcomes us to be present with ourselves more fully during and after a session.
The way that I work tends to benefit people who are looking for support with identifying and interrupting patterns to shift impulses and find more agency in their actions and behaviors. I am here to support you in navigate anxieties and fears, unpack past experiences, noticing ways they may be impacting you now, and reclaim choice.
Individual Therapy for adults or teens
Telehealth for California residents Tuesdays - Fridays.
I am trained to support my clients in deepening their understanding of themselves by spending intentional time being curious and attentive to what’s coming up in their bodies. My approach is client centered, trauma informed, and built on a value of ongoing, explicit, and informed consent.
Couples Therapy
Telehealth for California residentsTuesdays - Fridays.
We are social creatures by nature.
A great deal of the pain we experience throughout our lives can be rooted in relational wounds, often ones that happen early in life. I am deeply passionate about supporting couples through hard times, and exploring what becomes possible when we make the choice to heal in relationship.
I support couples in navigating conflict by slowing down and tending to reservations/apprehensions, impulses/urges, longings/desires as they come up in the relational field.
Fees
Therapy is an investment, and people have significantly different financial circumstances.
The rates listed on this page are my full fees that make it possible for me to offer lower fees to those who need them.
Fee setting will be a part of our initial consultation. I am more than happy to discuss sliding scale and low fee options.
Individual Therapy
$230 per 50 min session
My sliding scale spots for individual therapy are currently full.
I am not currently able to accommodate individual clients on an every-other-week basis.
I’m not in network with any insurance providers. However, I can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. Feel free to ask more about this!
Couples Therapy
$250 per 50 min session
$375 per 90 min session
My sliding scale currently starts at $150 per 50 min weekly session. I am not currently able to accommodate couples on an every-other-week basis.
I’m not in network with any insurance providers. However, I can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. Feel free to ask more about this!
Ready to schedule a free 30 min consultation?
About Me
I was introduced to the field of somatics during my undergraduate studies in Dance at Portland State University. The lens that somatics offered me allowed me to see the world and myself differently, and gave me tools to support me in navigating my exploration of my gender identity. From there, while working with peers to construct a gender/name document change library for Trans LifeLine, instructing group fitness classes at my school’s fitness center, and working at restaurants to get by, I developed an interest in and began studying neurophysiology and neuropsychology.
Given my lived experience, I have an embodied and practical understanding of how transphobia and cissexism can impact our relationships to our bodies. I also recognize that transphobia and cissexism exist as extensions of the white supremacist colonial imperialist agenda and therefore, the liberation of trans and queer people is contingent on the liberation of all oppressed peoples.
Through California Institute of Integral Studies, I received a Masters in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Somatic Psychotherapy. During my time at CIIS, I focused my studies on the experiences of transgender adults, primarily transgender women.
I have received clinical hours through Queer LifeSpace, and am currently employed by Center for Mindful Psychotherapy.