Healing Hearts, Transforming Lives.

ALISON KELLY, LPC, MA, DBTC

SERENITY COACHING AND COUNSELING

Alison Kelly, LPC, MA, DBTC
404-386-6130
alisonkellylpc@gmail.com

OFFICE LOCATION:
Milton/Alpharetta near Cambridge High School & King’s Ridge Christian School
(address given upon booking an appointment)

Specialities Include:
Certified Dialectical Behavioral Therapist (DBTC)
Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP)
Certified Family Trauma Professional (CFTP)
Adolescent and Family Therapy (EFFT)
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction For Teens (MBSR-T)
Board Certified Telemental Health Professional (BC-TMH)
Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider (CMHIMP)

FEEL STRONGER. LIVE HAPPIER. THRIVE IN EVERY WAY!

Hello and Welcome! I'm so glad you're here!

I believe everyone deserves to feel confident, healthy, empowered, and excited about life! Whether you want to strengthen your emotional well-being, improve your physical fitness, build healthier relationships, support your teenager, or simply become the best version of yourself, I'm here to help you do it.

What makes my approach different? I bring together psychotherapy, personal training, and integrative wellness to help you strengthen both mind and body.

With a professional background in mental health counseling, personal training, and integrative medicine, I offer a unique perspective on how our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, physical health, and daily habits work together to influence our overall well-being.

As a therapist, I help individuals and families build confidence, strengthen relationships, improve emotional regulation, navigate life's transitions, and develop practical skills for everyday success. I especially enjoy working with teenage girls, women, and families, helping them recognize their strengths, discover new possibilities, and create meaningful, lasting changes.

As a personal trainer, I understand that physical fitness is about so much more than exercise. It's about feeling stronger, building confidence, boosting energy, celebrating accomplishments, and discovering what your body can do. My experience also gives me a unique appreciation for adapting fitness and wellness goals to each person's abilities, needs, and circumstances.

Why choose between strengthening your mind and strengthening your body when you can focus on both?

My integrative approach combines evidence-based therapeutic strategies with an understanding of physical fitness, nutrition, healthy lifestyle habits, and the mind-body connection. Together, we can develop a personalized plan that supports your emotional well-being, physical health, confidence, and personal goals.

My professional credentials include Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist (DBTC), Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP), Certified Family Trauma Professional (CFTP), and Certified Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider (CMHIMP), along with extensive training in Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens (MBSR-T).

Beyond my education and professional experience, I believe what makes a great therapist or trainer is the ability to truly connect with people. My style is warm, encouraging, down-to-earth, and nonjudgmental, with plenty of hope, humor, and genuine enthusiasm for helping people succeed. I don't believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. I believe in getting to know YOU—your personality, strengths, challenges, goals, and what motivates you.

Whether we're working through emotional challenges, building healthier habits, improving family relationships, or celebrating your next fitness milestone, my goal is to make our time together positive, collaborative, practical, and empowering.

You don't have to wait until something is wrong to invest in yourself. Sometimes the best reason to get started is simply wanting more—more confidence, more energy, more balance, more connection, and more enjoyment in life!

Finding the right therapist or personal trainer is an important decision, and I want you to feel comfortable, understood, and excited about the possibilities ahead.

I invite you to schedule a FREE consultation to get to know me, share your goals, explore your options, and discover how we might work together.

Your Goals. Your Growth. Your Health. Your Happiness. Let's Make It Happen!

If you would like to set up a complimentary 15 min. phone consultation or schedule an appointment, call 404-386-6130 or email alisonkellylpc@gamil.com You can also fill out the form below. Please note that counseling services are for Georgia residents only. Thank you and let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

*Please note: This form is NOT encrypted or secure. Refrain from sending any personal or confidential information via this form.

STRONGER THAN MY CIRCUMSTANCES: A JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE

Why I Understand Chronic Pain—Not Just as a Therapist, but as Someone Who Lives With It

I spent the first part of my career teaching women how to strengthen their bodies. I never imagined I'd one day have to learn to rebuild my own. Back in the 1990s, I was among the first women to become a certified personal trainer. I eventually opened my own women-only gym, where I discovered that helping women become stronger was about so much more than exercise. It was about building confidence, friendships, resilience, and self-belief. I absolutely loved what I did! Then, one day, I noticed something strange—my toes were numb. I assumed my shoes were too tight, but the numbness gradually spread up my legs. Despite knowing something was wrong, my initial medical evaluations didn't provide answers, and my symptoms were attributed to stress. After repeatedly advocating for additional testing, a thoracic MRI revealed one of the largest spinal cord tumors the radiologist had ever seen. I was terrified, but I was also relieved. Finally, someone understood that what I was experiencing was real.

With three young children at home, all under the age of 9, I underwent an eight-hour surgery complicated by a heart attack. When I woke up in the ICU, my life looked very different. The woman who had spent years teaching fitness classes was suddenly struggling to walk. One of my most meaningful memories was willing myself, in spite of the excruciating pain coursing through my body, to walk around the nurses' station while recovering in the neurological ICU. Holding tightly to the railing, I slowly put one foot in front of the other as other patients, many of whom would never walk again, cheered, "You can do it! Do it for us!" That moment changed how I understand strength forever. Sometimes the greatest victories aren't measured in miles or pounds lifted, but in the courage it takes to try. Although I eventually regained my ability to walk, I had to give up teaching fitness classes and adjust to a body that no longer worked the way it once had.

Years later, in 2014, I was rear-ended by a construction truck, and many of those familiar neurological symptoms returned. What followed was another long journey of MRIs, specialists, nerve pain, and surgeries. I underwent an anterior lumbar fusion that initially brought tremendous relief, only to learn 18 months later that the fusion had failed. A posterior lumbar fusion followed, and eventually a cervical fusion when symptoms developed in my arms, hands, and feet. Just when I thought I might finally be finished with major surgeries, I learned both of my hips needed replacement surgery. At that point, I joked that I needed a better story, like a former roller derby queen. Humor became one of my favorite coping strategies, but underneath the jokes were very real feelings of frustration, exhaustion, disappointment, and uncertainty.

Living with chronic pain has taught me things no textbook ever could. I understand what it's like to wake up wondering what kind of day your body will give you, to cancel plans you were genuinely excited about, and to feel frustrated when something that used to be effortless becomes difficult. I know how exhausting it can be to explain your symptoms repeatedly, how discouraging it feels when treatments don't provide lasting relief, and how difficult it can be to accept help when you're accustomed to taking care of everyone else. I've also learned that you can be strong and still feel overwhelmed, grateful and still feel frustrated, hopeful and still have difficult days. Chronic pain doesn't just affect your body. It can affect your confidence, relationships, independence, identity, and emotional well-being. Sometimes, the hardest part isn't the pain itself, but feeling like other people don't fully understand what you're experiencing.

That's why my approach to chronic pain counseling is so personal. As a therapist, I bring professional training and evidence-informed strategies to help women manage the emotional impact of chronic pain, strengthen coping skills, and improve their quality of life. But I also bring something you can't learn in a classroom: the experience of being the patient. When you sit across from me, you won't have to convince me that your pain is real or explain why you're frustrated that your body doesn't always cooperate. I won't tell you to simply think positively, push through it, or try harder. I understand that some days the greatest accomplishment is getting through the day, while other days you may feel ready to take on the world. I also understand that your experience is uniquely yours, and my role isn't to compare our stories but to listen, support you, and help you discover what works best for your life.

Perhaps the most important lesson I've learned is that resilience isn't about ignoring pain or pretending everything is fine. Sometimes resilience means resting, asking for help, adjusting expectations, or finding new ways to enjoy the things you love. My own experiences have deepened my belief in the mind-body connection and the importance of caring for our emotional well-being alongside our physical health. Today, my passion for empowering women is just as strong as it was when I opened my first gym. The difference is that now I help women build emotional strength, confidence, self-compassion, and the skills to create fulfilling lives while navigating physical challenges, while offering genuine understanding, professional support, practical strategies, and encouragement from someone who truly appreciates the journey.

My story is still being written, and so is yours. I've learned to celebrate the small victories, appreciate the good days, laugh when I can, and remind myself that I am so much more than my medical history. If you're living with chronic pain, I want you to know that you are more than your diagnosis, your limitations, or the difficult days you've experienced. You still deserve happiness, meaningful relationships, personal growth, and a life filled with moments worth celebrating. I'd love to help you rediscover your strengths, reconnect with what matters most, and explore the possibilities ahead. Because your pain may be part of your story, but it doesn't have to be the whole story. And sometimes, having someone who truly understands and walks beside you can make all the difference.

OFFICE PICTURES