01 · Who Kelly works with

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

Kelly lists 16 specialisms and 26 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Kelly chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Kelly's own words

What Kelly says about the work

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

Hello. My name is Kelly and I am a compassionate Licensed Professional Counselor and I am a Counseling Supervisor with over 5 years of experience working with youth, teenagers, adults, families, and couples in both outpatient and community settings. I strive to foster a trusting, non-judgmental and safe environment for my clients so they can increase their awareness and achieve their most optimal growth. My therapeutic approach varies for each individual as we are all unique and may experience different obstacles or challenges as we work to achieve resolution. We will work together during the beginning sessions to gain understanding and clarification of your personal goals and needs and develop a plan to make the changes you choose and desire.

My approach to counseling is an eclectic blend of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I am also trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I understand that counseling is not a one-size-fits-all, so collaboration is essential in developing a treatment plan that is suitable for your goals and emotional growth. I want to work with you and make adjustments that are designed to help you achieve your goals and growth potential.

You have already begun the work to achieving your goals by seeking counseling. Everyone needs a form of support in the journey of life. I will be honest with you as well as supportive, and confidential. I believe in telling a person what they need to hear, even when it is not always what that person wants to hear to achieve goals. I look forward to meeting with you to develop strategies that will support you on your journey.

Kelly Chaiken-Crooks, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Oct 2026

03 · How Kelly works

The 6 approaches Kelly lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Kelly lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Kelly'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 Kelly runs a session.

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.

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.

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.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Kelly 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 Kelly'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 Kelly at this point.

2. Naming Kelly specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Kelly 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 Kelly.

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 Kelly

Built from what Kelly actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Kelly's - Kelly 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

LPC

Licensed in

Michigan

Licence

MI LPC 6401017925

Licence number

6401017925

Licence expires

12 Nov 2026

NPI

1891237723

Years in practice

5

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Kelly'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 7 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 Kelly. 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.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.