What is a “Postdoctoral Psychologist”?
A “post doc” is someone who has completed their doctoral degree (3,000 hours of providing therapy, supervised by a licensed Psychologist, defended their dissertation, and 4 years of clinical coursework).
They are now in the process of being licensed by the state. Upon completing licensure requirements they will be a licensed psychologist.
How much education and experience do you have?
I have my Master’s in Biblical Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary, and my Master’s and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from George Fox University.
My experience includes being a University counselor, an outpatient community mental health provider for low-income individuals, trauma-informed substance use counselor, group facilitator, and risk assessor for suicidal populations in emergency hospital settings.
What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
Both are mental health specialists. A psychologist spends years training to treat with psychotherapy (talking to people, counseling them towards change), while a psychiatrist spends years training to treat with prescription medication. In a broad sense, psychologists are psycho-therapists, whereas psychiatrists are psycho-pharmacologists.
What is a Christian Postdoctoral Psychologist?
A professional who has received specialized theology training (in addition to training in Clinical Psychology) on integrating Biblical teaching in their therapy to bring people to better mental and spiritual health. Most importantly, he/she is a Christian with genuine faith, in regular fellowship and ministry, and is an active part of their local church.
How long are therapy sessions?
Sessions start on the hour and last 55 minutes. Longer session length can be helpful for some treatments, but will be discussed between Dr. Kelly and the patient beforehand.
How long does someone stay in therapy?
It is difficult to predict how long the therapy process will take for a given person, but most people report feeling significantly better after about ten-session and have a good handle on their struggles after about twenty sessions.