“A difficult life is not less worth living than a gentle one.”

- Andrea Gibson

Do you feel stuck?

You want to be seen and understood in your relationships, but true intimacy feels unattainable.

You keep abandoning foundational parts of yourself in order to feel connection.

The stress of living under oppressive and dehumanizing systems has worn you down; your body is fatigued and tense.

You long to live an authentic and empowered life but you haven’t quite figured out how to.

What if you could…

learn to trust and accept yourself, opening your ability to nurture intimacy with others?

build a relationship with your body that’s rooted in compassion and curiosity, rather than criticism?

realize your healing journey is intricately connected with the fight for collective liberation?

have relationships that finally feel good, with mutual respect and loving care?

Hi, I’m Josephine Kelly.

I specialize in neuro-informed and queer affirming therapy at The Center for Mindful Psychotherapy. With deep presence and compassion, I help people connect to their bodies with kindness so they can learn to trust themselves.

I’m also a cynical idealist. No sugarcoating or spiritual bypassing. Grief and joy are different sides of the same coin. We can’t feel the expansion of joy without weathering the depths of our pain.

I like to explore nuance so that we can be in the messy complexity of what it means to be human. Together, we’ll navigate liminal spaces with curiosity instead of resistance (and when there is resistance we’ll listen to and honor it, not power through it). 

Therapy with me is collaborative. We’ll fill the space with tears, laughter, and genuine connection.

Learn more about Josephine

I specialize in working with the LGBTQ+ and alternative sexuality communities.

  • Queer as in decolonizing our minds and cultures. Queer as fat liberation, and disability justice, reparations and land back. Queer was originally a slur that the LGBTQ+ community reclaimed to take back our power! Queerness is not just about sexuality, it's about how we create new blueprints for love and relationships that moves towards a world we're all free from systems of oppression.

  • When we were born, someone looked at our bodies and made a decision about who we're going to be. Some of us grow up and find this decision doesn't align with who we really are! I love supporting trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming folks find self-acceptance along any part of their gender journey. We are brave. We are valuable. We belong on this earth.

  • Refuse to choose? Can't stand being boxed in? Fluidity just a part of who you are? People under the bisexual+ umbrella (bi, pansexual, omnisexual, fluid, etc) are an important and marginalized part of the LGBTQ+ community. Whether you want to explore your sexuality or just want a a therapist who gets it, I'm here.

  • Whether you’ve been exploring kink and BDSM for years or are brand new, I welcome your identity and experiences. With me, you can talk about sex, kink, and BDSM without judgement. You can process and release shame, find community and resources, or better identify and communicate your needs and desires. I work with folks who play with power exchange (including D/s dynamics), bondage, impact, taboo roleplay fantasies, and other desires and behaviors labeled alternative.

  • I support people whose relationship structures don't fit under traditional models including polyamory, non-monogamy, and open relationships. We can work on communication, processing attachment wounds that may get triggered, and negotiating your boundaries.

  • Did you grow up during a time or place where there were no positive representations of LGBTQ+ folks? Or maybe you didn't realize your gender or sexuality until later in life. It's never too late to live authentically! I love supporting people come into their queer identities and make changes to be true to themselves.

What happens in therapy?

Therapy isn’t a one sizes fits all. I meet my clients where they’re at by customizing my approach to their unique needs and goals. I like to follow what feels alive in the moment, rather than going with an agenda.

Explore Inner Conflicts

Connect with different parts of yourself, each one representing various thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Create more harmony and collaboration as you reconcile internal tensions.

Connect to Your Body

Take some time to slow down and rest. Begin to listen to the subtle cues in your body through therapeutic yoga, breathwork, and somatic exploration of sensation.

Clarify Values

A space to explore what truly matters to you, away from external pressures and judgements. Through guided reflection, discussion, and gentle challenges you can identify your core beliefs and align your actions with them.

Identify Patterns

Identify unconscious patterns by bringing hidden thoughts and behaviors to the surface. By recognizing these patterns, you can understand how they influence your life and begin to make intentional changes.

Build Secure Attachment

Learn how your childhood experiences shaped your attachment strategies and notice how they show up in your current relationships. Build your capacity to feel seen, safe and accepted in your relationships.

Are you struggling to navigate these things on your own?

  • Always feel like you’re on edge and have a hard time relaxing? Sweating up a storm, shaking, heartbeat quickening, stomach aches, breath shortening when it's your turn to speak? So worried people dislike you that you end up avoiding social situations all together? Somatic skills like yoga and trauma-informed mindfulness help regulate your activated nervous system. With grounding and breathwork, you can learn to calm your body’s response, making it easier to face stressful situations with confidence.

  • Burnout can happen when demand exceeds capacity. Your cup becomes empty so there’s nothing left to give. Identifying your limits helps you figure out when you need to rest before you’re forced to slow down. Through therapy, learn to notice the subtle cues of and signs of overstimulation before you crash and burn, and come up with strategies to reduce chronic stress.

  • Think in abstract, nonlinear, and expansive ways? You're great at working on your passion projects, but awful at daily monotonous tasks. The world we live in is not friendly to people with ADHD, autism, or other neurodivergent ways of being. Maybe you weren't meant to fit the mold! We can figure out how to design a life that works for your unique needs.

  • Frequent fights, breakups, or fallouts? Simultaneously craving intimacy but terrified of it? Asking yourself “Am I lovable? Will I ever get what I need from relationships?” Spoiler alert: you are absolutely lovable and deserving of nourishing, kind relationships! Let's look at where you need to take responsibility and learn clearer communication, and where others might be crossing your boundaries and not meeting your needs. Trust, honesty, communication, and respect are critical to healthy relationships.

  • Do you want to want to learn how to feel pleasure and security in your body? Struggling with sex that is unsatisfying, boring, or even painful? Do you need help identifying and communicating what you really want?

    Sex therapy is just like talk therapy, but we talk a lot more about sex! And in case you wondering: it never involves sexual touch between the therapist and client.

When we’re exhausted and stressed out, sometimes sensations are either way too intense or devastatingly numb.

What if you could expand your capacity to feel the full range of your emotions without becoming overwhelmed?

Schedule a free consultation.

Finding the right therapist for your unique needs is the most important part of of finding a therapist! I offer a free consultation so we can explore if we’re a good match. They last 20 to 30 minutes and give time for both of us to feel if the vibes are right.

Fill out the form provided to schedule a time to connect. I look forward to hearing from you!