Kellie Gainey , LMHC

Kellie Gainey is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in New York. She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and challenges linked to identity and relationships. Kellie also helps clients facing addiction, parenting strain, career stress, and concerns around intimacy and self-worth.

Her way of working is straightforward and collaborative. Sessions focus on building usable coping skills, changing unhelpful thinking patterns, and improving how people connect with others. Kellie uses practical exercises, mindfulness, and reflective conversation so clients can try new ways of responding to hard situations.

She draws on several approaches including cognitive behavioral techniques and dialectical strategies to manage intense emotion and reduce unhelpful behaviors. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ideas help people clarify values and take meaningful action. Client-centered principles guide sessions so the client's experience leads the pace and focus.

Kellie identifies as a queer clinician and works from kink/BDSM positive, non-monogamy positive, and body-positive perspectives. That means she aims to respect diverse identities and relationship choices while helping clients address shame, communication problems, and boundaries.

With seven years of counseling experience in New York, Kellie blends practical tools with empathetic listening. She offers an approachable first step for anyone feeling overwhelmed by life changes, trauma, or ongoing emotional strain.

How Kellie's Approaches Translate to Online Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people clarify what matters to them and take action toward those values while accepting difficult feelings that arise. It is useful for stress, anxiety, and navigating life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and behaviors influence feelings and teaches concrete skills to shift both, which helps with anxiety, depression, and unhelpful habits. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers strategies for managing strong emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening communication when relationships or impulse control are a concern.

Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that fit their goals, needs, and comfort level. Sessions often mix techniques so clients can try practical tools and adjust as they learn what helps most.

Online formats available include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can be helpful when less bandwidth is needed, live chat supports shorter check-ins, and messaging offers ongoing written reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, family, and busy schedules while still working on values, coping skills, and emotional regulation.