Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
- Anger management
- Depression
How Kelly works
- Not listed
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Illinois
- Years in practice
- 13
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Kelly
Kelly Ambrose is a licensed clinical social worker with 13 years of experience helping people through hard emotional moments. She works with individuals facing stress, anxiety, addiction, trauma, anger, and depression. Kelly aims to make therapy understandable and practical for everyday life.
Her approach is gentle and person-centered. She listens first, then helps clients name patterns that get in the way. Sessions focus on building coping skills, improving communication, and finding healthier ways to manage strong feelings like anger or grief.
Background and approach
Kelly draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques to guide work on self-esteem, shame, and personal growth. She also supports people coping with chronic illness, body image concerns, attachment issues, and the fallout from traumatic events. The work combines short-term problem solving with attention to longer-term change.
She is comfortable addressing complex challenges such as addiction recovery, dissociation, and difficult personality patterns while keeping the pace suited to each person. Kelly also offers support for those dealing with blended family stress, cancer-related concerns, and chronic pain or disability. Clients can expect straightforward talk, practical strategies, and steady support.
Kelly works with people in Illinois and conducts sessions in English using video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. She invites people who want a collaborative, down-to-earth approach to schedule a matching questionnaire and begin the process.
What Kelly works with
Everything Kelly lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Kelly's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
- Anger management
- Depression
- Abandonment
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Evidence-Based Approaches and Online Support
Kelly uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on practical change and emotional regulation. One approach emphasizes learning coping skills and behavioral strategies to manage anxiety, anger, and addictive urges; this helps people reduce intense reactions and build steadier routines. Another approach centers on processing trauma and related wounds at a careful pace, helping people make sense of past events and reduce their current impact on daily life.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Kelly will collaborate with each person to identify goals, try methods that fit their needs, and adjust over time based on what helps most. That means she checks in about what is working and what needs to change so the plan matches the client’s preferences and progress.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy easier to fit into busy lives. Video is useful for full sessions with visual cues, phone works well when bandwidth is limited, live chat allows brief check-ins, and text-based messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options give flexibility for scheduling, shorter touchpoints, or deeper weekly work with a licensed professional.
Questions people ask about Kelly
What kinds of issues does Kelly help with?
She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, anger, and depression, plus related concerns like attachment issues and body image.
What is her therapy style like?
Her style is compassionate and direct, focusing on listening first and then teaching practical coping skills and communication strategies.
How much experience does she have?
Kelly has 13 years of clinical experience working with a wide range of mental health challenges.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is an LCSW, licensed in Illinois, and provides services while based in that state.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients.
What session formats does she offer?
Kelly meets via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to therapist availability.