Shelley Gillespie (she/her)

My Approach to Helping

My approach is collaborative and holistic. I draw on eight years of community-based therapeutic practice in which I’ve served people across the ages, from children to the oldest-old, and from different racial and class backgrounds, among other identities. I aim to co-create a therapy space that is welcoming, supportive and a source of liberatory health. Our sessions are based on your stated goals and our collaboration to reach the well-being you are seeking from therapy. As appropriate, I incorporate elements of Internal Family Systems, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Narrative Therapy, expressive arts, mindfulness, and self-compassion. I recognize the role oppression plays on individual and collective well-being and tend to those dynamics, as appropriate. I’m committed to reflecting on my own biases as an integral part of being a social justice-oriented practitioner. I believe in the vast possibilities inside of us to tap into inner resilience and relational strength.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just weather.” -Pema Chodron. In our times of grief, and struggle for a healthy planet, for racial and social justice, and inner well-being and outer connection, how do we hold intense emotions and experiences and keep on? Life in these times often doesn’t feel like just weather. How do we know and feel that we are the sky-that inner sense of okayness as we are? How do we draw on the strengths of our inner selves and our supportive relationships to create a sense of wholeness? These are the kinds of questions I’m interested in answering in times of struggle, and in answering them, setting in motion practices that help nourish healing, fortitude, and even un-imagined growth. In seeking answers to questions that will be unique to you, I offer my compassionate witnessing, attuned curiosity, and collaboration to your healing and wellness. Please reach out to our practice and let us know what you would like therapy to support you with!