Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026

Brian Kelley has been in practice 3 years and is licensed in Illinois. Brian lists stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse among 43 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.

Everything below is either quoted from Brian's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.

3years in practice
43subjects listed
10approaches listed

01 · Who Brian works with

Brian works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse

Brian lists 17 specialisms and 26 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Brian chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

Specialisms
  • Stress, Anxiety
  • Relationship issues
  • Trauma and abuse
  • Grief
  • Depression
  • Addictions
  • LGBT
  • Family conflicts
  • Intimacy-related issues
  • Parenting issues
  • Anger management
  • Self esteem
  • Career difficulties
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Coping with life changes
  • Coaching
  • Compassion fatigue
Also experienced with
  • Aging and geriatric issues
  • Antisocial personality
  • Avoidant personality
  • Communication problems
  • Control issues
  • Dependent personality
  • Divorce and separation
  • Family of origin issues
  • Family problems
  • Fatherhood issues
  • First responder issues
  • Life purpose
  • Men's issues
  • Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
  • Mood disorders
  • Multicultural concerns
  • Panic disorder and panic attacks
  • Personality disorders
  • Phobias
  • Postpartum depression
  • Post-traumatic stress
  • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
  • Self-harm
  • Self-love
  • Social anxiety and phobia
  • Workplace issues

02 · In Brian's own words

What Brian says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Do you feel alone, unheard, stuck or lost? Do you feel unfulfilled or that something in your life needs to change? However you may be feeling, I welcome you as you are. I can help you attain healing, connect with others or to get unstuck. Counseling can help you achieve symptom relief and lasting change. By working together to identify your unique needs, the source of distress, and what's perpetuating the problem, I will help you develop the tools to overcome seemingly insurmountable situations.

I have 15 years of experience working with individuals with depression, anxiety, bipolar, stress management, personality disorders, relationship difficulties, divorce, LGBT issues, grief/loss and various sources of trauma. As a certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT), I carefully explore the dynamic relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The central philosophy behind CBT is that our thoughts and behaviors have power to influence how we feel and our emotional wellbeing.

Often, we experience challenges and circumstances which make it difficult to find fulfillment in our lives. It is through genuine and authentic sharing that we can begin moving toward a new level of peace and healing. I will work in a collaborative and non-judgmental way to help you achieve your goals and realize your full potential. Again, congratulations on taking this first step toward a healthier, happier life! I welcome clients of all faith/non-faith traditions. I welcome all gender expression, sexual expression and sexual orientation. I also honor and respect all cultural backgrounds.

Brian Kelley, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Brian works

The 9 approaches Brian lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Brian lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Brian's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Brian runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT
Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.
Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian
The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.
Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT
Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.
Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT
A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.
The Gottman Method
A couples approach built on decades of observational research into what distinguishes relationships that last. Structured and assessment-led: it maps friendship, conflict and shared meaning, then works on the specific mechanics of how the two of you argue.
Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT
Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.
Motivational InterviewingMI
A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.
Narrative Therapy
Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.
Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT
Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Also listed

  • Existential Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Brian practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Brian's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

  1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

    BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Brian at this point.

  2. Naming Brian specifically

    BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Brian is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Brian.

  3. If the caseload is full

    You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

  4. The first conversation

    A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

  5. If the fit is wrong

    Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Brian

Built from what Brian actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Brian's - Brian has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

  • “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

    Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

  • “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

    Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

  • “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

    On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential
LCPC
Licensed in
Illinois
Licence
IL LCPC 180.007807
Licence number
180.007807
Licence expires
31 Mar 2027
NPI
1003191990
Years in practice
3
Gender
Male
Languages
English
International clients
Not accepted
Listed since
15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Brian's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Brian. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

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