Therapist in Long Beach, California Kelsey Gavin, Therapist

Kelsey Gavin is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California who has been practicing since 2016. She received a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy with specialization in Clinical Art Therapy from Loyola Marymount University. Kelsey provides a welcoming and accepting atmosphere to allow clients to feel safe and comfortable as they seek to become more empowered in their lives. She employs the Humanistic approach’s warmth through unconditional regard and respect of the uniqueness and resiliency of each individual. Kelsey can also provide support and structure by sharing the tools and concepts found in cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and acceptance commitment therapy. She can also incorporate narrative, existential, solutions focused approaches, and family therapy.

Kelsey is committed to demonstrating cultural competency and humility while also maintaining a trauma-informed lens. She also specializes in Clinical Art Therapy and is currently credentialed with the Art Therapy Credentials Board, Inc. and is a member of the American Art Therapy Association. Kelsey has found art therapy to be a great modality to explore emotional experiences, increase confidence by practicing creativity and mindfulness, to utilize in telling or rewriting individual narratives, and to have a safe space to begin understanding our experiences in new ways. The adolescents she has worked with have been particularly fond of the art therapy process. Kelsey’s work history as a clinician has included a shelter for homeless/runaway teens, inpatient dual diagnosis/drug and alcohol treatment, partial hospitalization/intensive outpatient for adults and adolescents, and outpatient services for adults and adolescents.

The specialties or areas of focus she has significant experience with include depression, history of suicidal ideation/self-harm, anxiety, bipolar disorder, grief, low self-esteem, substance abuse, gender identity, LGBTQ+, both women’s and men’s issues, life transitions, eating disorders, body image issues, school performance/avoidance, trauma/PTSD, ADHD/learning difficulties, and social anxiety. Outside of work, Kelsey enjoys traveling, attending the theater, ceramics, and visiting museums.