From January 1, 2025, Dr. Anderson will begin working with new clients on a cash-pay basis only. This change does not affect existing clients using insurance. If you have any questions or need clarification, we’re happy to assist!

Special Interests and Training

Although Dr. Anderson is trained as a generalist and can work with most mental health issues, she has several areas that she specializes in and enjoys working with. These include:

• Supporting ambitious, perfectionist women/female-identifying clients in overcoming perfectionism without sacrificing goals

• Improving the lives of clients with serious mental health concerns such as trauma, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and severe depression

• Working with neurodivergent adults, particularly women/female-identifying people, who received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or ADHD later in life

Other areas of specialization

• Diagnostic assessment and neuropsychological assessments with a focus on ASD, ADHD, and cognitive decline

• Boundary setting in all areas of life

• Treating comorbid depression and anxiety of all types (Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Specific Phobias, OCD, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia)

In a professional capacity, Dr. Anderson provides clinical consultation and supervision to other licensed clinicians, business coaching, and is open to guest speaking/guest lecturing engagements.

In addition to providing therapeutic services, Dr. Anderson currently holds a position on the Ethics Committee with the San Diego Psychological Association and is a guest lecturer for the University of Southern California (USC). You can find a recording of one of these lectures here.

Things I Love!

Below are a few things that I love. Most of these are mental health-related or tangential to mental health or overall well-being, including things like personal development and enjoyment.

Mindfulness Apps

It’s not unusual for me to recommend mindfulness apps to clients and I have a few I really enjoy and often times recommend.

Insight Timer - This is my go-to app to use for sleep mindfulness exercises, though it has mindfulness practices for just about any issue of concern you may be coping with. There is an optional mood check-in each time you open the app that can help you track your mood as well as the contributors to your mood. I really like that you can choose to make a donation to a specific contributor to the app versus paying a monthly subscription. https://insighttimer.com/

Calm - This is one of the most popular apps available, but is also one of the more expensive (though many find it’s worth the cost) and last I checked required paying for a full year upfront. This app has amazing editing and sound quality and is the app that uses celebrity voices for their mindfulness exercises and sleep stories. calm.com

Reading

I’m an avid reader and enjoy reading almost any genre out there. In addition to the joy that can come from getting lost in a book, one of my preferred ways to learn is through the written word. Therefore I do a lot of reading that helps inform my work and below are some of my favorite books to recommend to clients.

Dope Therapy, by Shani Tran - This is a book written by a therapist who discusses what to expect from therapy for someone who has never been in therapy before. Tran walks readers (or listeners as this is available on audiobook) through how to find a therapist, what therapy will look like, what to do if you don’t like your therapist, and how to end therapy. Tran’s thorough and relatable approach to sharing this information is engaging and personable - and she talks about her own therapy struggles as well helping readers to further relate. Additionally, she tackles specific barriers around finding a great therapist for people of color, those part of the LGBTQ community, and those with disabilities.

Think Like A Monk, by Jay Shetty - This book is great for folks looking to learn how to slow down, make space for difficult emotions, and do what’s most important in their life. Shetty, who is a former monk, explains how to use mindfulness and committed action to tolerate distress and build a valuable life. I will say it took me a long time to pick this book up because of the cover and if you can ignore that (or download the audiobook!) you may find some valuable insights.

Set Boundaries, Find Peace, by Nedra Glover Tawwab - Interested in learning more about setting and maintaining boundaries? This is the book for you! The author, a therapist, walks you through what boundaries are, how to set and maintain boundaries, and lots of examples to give you ideas for lots of different situations. Just as helpful, she provides examples of the consequences of having poor boundaries.

Feminist Fight Club, by Jessica Bennet - This book is written with women/female-identifying folks in mind but is wonderful for anyone who may want to support a woman in their life or who works with women. Bennet wrote this book as a survival guide for women working in a sexist (or any) workplace and is a quick and humorous read. I would give this an 18+ rating for language and there are a lot of female anatomy puns, be warned!

Nurture Shock - If you have children (or any age) or work with children/teens, this book by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman would make a great addition to your library. This book takes a research-oriented approach to look at the common ways we raise children and how many of these things that we believe to be true are in fact a little bit wrong to absolutely false. The book also offers solutions. Chapters cover topics such as why kids lie, teenage rebellion, and how praise affects children.

Fair Play - In a relationship? Are you feeling like you and your partner are not contributing equally to your shared duties? Something I hear about from the vast majority of folks in relationships (especially if there are children) is that one partner feels as if they are carrying more of the mental load. This leads to relationship breakdowns and resentment. Fair Play helps you identify what you are and are not doing in a relationship and how to create equity including steps to distribute the mental load equally! This books offers a clear system with ways to change how you and your partner get things done in your home.

Emily Oster- The books by Oster are wonderful for people raising children. At this time she has three, beginning in pre-conception through early childhood. This is a research-based approach to understanding and coping with common struggles parents face in the various childhood phases. Expecting Better tackles pre-conception through birth, Crib Sheets is around issues in the first few years in life, and The Family Firm focuses on early through middle childhood.

Reading doesn’t have to be expensive! San Diego’s library is extensive and free! With a library card, you can access any library in the county as well as their audio and e-books (of which there are tens of thousands). Another option is the free app Libby where you can download e-books and audiobooks for free and choose from hundreds of thousands of titles.

Bean and Cheese Burritos

Enough said!

In the Press

Podcast with Finding Genius

Schizophrenia & Complex Mental Health Issues | A Conversation With Dr. Kelly Anderson.

Join us now to uncover:

• Dr. Anderson’s unique background as a mental health specialist.

• The difference between schizophrenia and psychotic episodes. 

• Conditions that cause people to have psychotic episodes. 

• Why certain people develop schizophrenia and factors that can trigger it.

• The importance of approaching mental health from an individualized level. 

Blog Feature

See my blog article, 5 Things to Know about Anxiety, which was featured in the psychology and lifestyle publication, B. Quarterly. You can view it here.

Talking Trauma

If you want to learn more about trauma and treatment for trauma, you can watch this small panel discussion produced by local San Diegans to help promote awareness of mental health. Watch the discussion here.

Ending the Therapeutic Relationship

You can see our thoughts and contributions about how to “break up” with your therapist as shared by Byrdie.com here.

Trail Blazers

Check out this feature about Wellness Therapy in San Diego’s beloved local pub, SD Voyager where you can learn more about the practice and practice owner, Kelly Anderson, Ph.D.

More About My Training and Background

Dr. Anderson is dually licensed in the states of California and Colorado. She is able to provide in-person and teletherapy sessions to clients in California as well as provide teletherapy sessions to clients residing in the state of Colorado.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist with American Psychological Association (APA) accredited training and over 15 years of experience assessing and treating clients. I received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Texas Tech University and completed my internship at the Durham Veterans Affairs in North Carolina before returning to my home state of California to complete my postdoctoral residency at the San Diego Veterans Affairs/University of California, San Diego psychology training program.

I was trained as a generalist meaning I obtained both clinical and research experience working with clients with a number of presenting issues, allowing me to effectively treat a diversity of psychiatric concerns. Much of my training is based on the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) model and therapies that grew from this theory (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy). My skill in using these treatments continued to grow during my postdoctoral residency, which specialized in treating individuals with serious mental illnesses such as psychosis, Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, severe depression and anxiety, and substance abuse.

When working with clients, I select tailored treatments that have been found to work well in effecting change for the particular concern my client is struggling with when they come to therapy.  I believe my commitment to using the most relevant strategy for each individual, helps clients gain a sense of wellness and power over their concerns.

An aspect I find to be critical in delivering treatment is considering the diverse backgrounds and individual differences of each client. No two clients are exactly the same and that means that no two plans for treatment can be the same. Because of this belief, I worked to obtain specialized training culminating in a unique area of expertise—individualizing CBT in a way that the therapy remains effective without sticking to a “one size fits all” model of delivery. More specifically, I use my training with evidence-based treatments as a framework to tailor therapy to each person with whom I work. I take a whole-person approach to treatment and go further than focusing on symptoms and problems. This allows the space needed to consider the context of each client in regard to their background, life experiences, goals, and personal values.

In 2017, I established Wellness Therapy of San Diego to be able to provide treatment to clients with my core values in mind. It is my belief that all people seeking therapy should be able to receive high-quality, competent care, and established my practice with this in mind. Over the past seven years, I have expanded the practice by hiring clinicians who are able to provide a variety of services and who share the same values and beliefs.

To learn more about Dr. Anderson's background and training click here.