About Kelsey (“K”) Forest, PsyD (they/she)
Reg #94027376

I believe that…

Healing and growth come naturally when we tell our stories, accept change, and connect to the vibrant web of life that supports us all.

Therapy offers a space to come together, reflect, and re-imagine your life’s story as you play with change, connect with new sources of vitality, and receive support and protection for your dreams.

My approach is…

…creative, accepting, insightful, playful, and body-wise. I offer a gentle presence creating space for people to be nurtured, find meaning, and transmute suffering.

Working with me is an active and embodied process with connection and trust at its center. Results depend on how much you engage and share as we collaborate through questioning, storytelling, self-expression, and experimentation with diverse wellness theories and practices.

I merge traditional talk therapy with somatic modalities, cultural and spiritual practices, creative arts, play, and holistic neuroscience-based techniques customized to meet your unique needs.

Specialty areas

I am committed to supporting teens, children, and adults who are grief-stricken, anxious, depressed, or coping with tragic loss, injustice, and trauma. Using storytelling, mindfulness, expressive and creative arts, somatics, cultural and spiritual practices, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Trauma-Focused CBT, I help clients re-imagine their lives.

They learn to cope with strong emotions, access self-compassion and support, deepen motivation, navigate changes with grace, and connect with peace, strength, and calmness to support meaningful connections in their lives.

Gender and sexual identity-affirming therapy is one of my passions – both specialized training and my lived experiences contribute to the insight, awareness, and respect I bring to LGBTQIA2S* clients.

I also love helping people living with developmental differences like ADHD, dyslexia, and autism (ASD) thrive and navigate work, school, and relationships successfully. And I enjoy working with couples, polycules, and families dealing with boundary negotiation, conflict, family/relationship changes, codependency, and addiction.

My credentials

I am a bilingual psychological associate working in English and Spanish under Dr. Steigner’s supervision. I completed my doctoral degree in 2022 at the Wright Institute, an APA-accredited program emphasizing mental health activism, with a particular focus on family therapy, somatic and creative arts interventions, and culturally responsive therapy.

I am a member of the American Psychological Association, Monterey Bay Psychological Association, American Dance Therapists Association, and Yoga Alliance.

I am an active member of Bay Area & Santa Cruz creative communities, with lifelong experience in the LGBTQ+ community.

I love…

…getting my hands dirty in the garden, hot showers, making cats purr, swimming, games, animals of all kinds, poetry, plants, silly cartoons, creative collaborations, restorative justice, walking in the forest/at the ocean, Miyazaki, Monet, circus arts, live music, dancing, and learning about language, culture, and stories.