Dr. Kathleen Kelley, LMFT
222 W. 11th Street
New York, NY 10014
Individual, Couples & Family Therapist in NYC and Online
Experienced Psychotherapist Offering Individual, Couples and Family Therapy
I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist providing therapy for individuals, couples and families in NYC and online. I offer psychoanalytically informed psychotherapy for anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship conflict, addiction and recovery, and major life transitions.
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Individual Therapy
If you're seeking individual therapy, you might feel overwhelmed, stuck, or dissatisfied. Many turn to therapy for issues like anxiety, depression, trauma, and repetitive relationship patterns. In my NYC practice and online, I offer in-depth psychotherapy for adults seeking more than just symptom relief. Together, we’ll examine the emotional patterns and conflicts that influence your life. ​
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Common concerns I address include: Anxiety Depression Trauma Relationship issues Addiction Career dissatisfaction
Couples Therapy
If you’re searching for couples therapy, you may already be feeling the strain of repeated arguments, emotional distance, or painful misunderstandings. Many couples reach out when conversations turn into the same circular conflicts, when intimacy has faded, or when trust has been shaken by betrayal. Therapy offers a structured, thoughtful space to slow down and understand what is happening beneath the surface. Often, partners are caught in cycles of longing and protection—one reaching, the other withdrawing; one criticizing, the other shutting down. Together, we identify these patterns and work toward greater clarity, accountability, and emotional responsiveness.
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Common concerns I address include: Frequent conflict or escalating arguments Emotional or physical intimacy concerns Infidelity or betrayal recovery Life transitions (parenthood, career changes, relocation), Addiction or recovery impacting the relationship Questions about commitment or separation
Family Therapy
Family therapy aims to address family dynamics, promote understanding, and resolve conflicts to create a supportive and cohesive family environment. My work integrates family systems thinking with psychoanalytic understanding of attachment, development, and intergenerational transmission of trauma. Family therapy provides a structured space to look at interactional patterns, address communication breakdowns, work through schisms and ruptures and to examine the dynamics shaping conflicts.
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Common concerns I address include: Parent–teen conflict Substance use and recovery Divorce or separation transitions Blended family challenges Ongoing communication struggles Estrangements and cut-offs
Addiction and Recovery
If you’re looking for an addiction therapist in NYC or recovery support in Manhattan, you may be feeling the strain that substance use or compulsive behaviors have placed on your life or relationships. Addiction often develops as an attempt to manage overwhelming emotions, trauma, loneliness, or internal pressure. Over time, what once felt regulating can begin to erode trust, stability, and self-respect. I provide addiction and recovery therapy for individuals, couples, and families. My approach is depth-oriented and relational. Rather than focusing only on behavior change, we explore the emotional and relational roots of addictive patterns—shame, unmet attachment needs, trauma, or difficulty regulating affect.​
I work with: Individuals in early or sustained recovery High-functioning professionals struggling privately with alcohol or substance use Partners impacted by addiction or betrayal Families navigating recovery and rebuilding trust Adult children of addiction and intergenerational trauma
About
Meet Dr. Kathleen Kelley, LMFT
I am a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City, working with individuals, couples, and families seeking meaningful change. For nearly two decades, I have provided insight-oriented psychotherapy grounded in psychoanalytic self psychology and relational theory. My work is guided by the belief that psychological suffering unfolds in relationship—and that healing does as well. I approach each treatment with careful listening, respect for complexity, and attention to both emotional depth and practical change.
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My approach to therapy is collaborative and engaged. I listen closely to how you describe your experiences, relationships, and emotional responses. We pay attention to recurring themes, moments of conflict, and the ways old patterns may be shaping present choices. Over time, this process strengthens self-understanding, emotional flexibility, and the capacity for more satisfying relationships.
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I recognize that we are living in socially complex and often destabilizing times. Political polarization, cultural change, social media comparison, and collective uncertainty all influence mental health. Therapy can help you separate external pressures from your authentic values and develop a stronger, more coherent sense of self. Some patients work with me short-term around a specific transition or crisis. Others choose longer-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy to address deeper developmental patterns. In either case, the goal is greater clarity, resilience, and freedom in how you live and relate.
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I see patients in person in my West Village office and offer online therapy. If you’re searching for a therapist, I welcome the opportunity to speak with you about what you’re looking for and how we might work together.
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I can be reached at 646-598-9540 or drkathleenkelley@gmail.com
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Publications and Presentations
Book
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Co-Author of The New World of Self: Heinz Kohut’s Transformation of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. (2022) Oxford University Press.
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Reviews -
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"Freud's extraordinary understanding of mind emerged in a particular culture and stage of knowledge. Adventuring beyond, into the new intellectual territory of uncertainty and complexity, has seen psychoanalytic dead ends and promising paths that petered out. Strozier, who knew Kohut well, has with his colleagues in this essential guidebook, produced a persuasive case for Kohut's insights, but more than that, a valuable intellectual sextant for the next generation of navigators of the human soul."
- Lord John Alderdice, FRCPsych, Senior Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford
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"Strozier, Pinteris, Kelley, and Cher offer a fresh, engaging, and enlightening portrait of Kohut as the psychoanalyst who introduced empathy into psychoanalytic theory and practice. Kohut conceived of trauma, healing, and the development of the self in profoundly humane terms. Through its clarity of language, use of clinical and historical interviews, and organization of themes, The New World of Self offers psychotherapists of all persuasions and scholars interested in studying talk therapy practical and thought-provoking access to Kohut's transformative contributions." --
- Harriet Wolfe, M.D., President, International Psychoanalytical Association
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"The New World of Self is a remarkable work that reads like a series of master classes on the essentials of what has come to be known as self psychology, founded by the grandmaster himself, Heinz Kohut. Charles Strozier and coauthors, provide a fascinating overview of the evolution of Kohut's transformative understanding of the self. After laying this groundwork, each consecutive chapter offers a captivating in-depth exploration of the vicissitudes of empathy, transference, dreams, sexuality, rage, and therapeutic process. Strozier and colleagues have brought Kohut's work into a truly modern-day context, making it accessible for therapists of many different disciplines and a treasured guide for any ardent practitioner of psychotherapy."
-Eleanor Payson, LMSW, author of The Wizard of Oz and Other Narcissists: Coping with the One-Way Relationship in Work, Love, and Family
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Professional Papers
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Strozier, C. B., Pinteris, K., Kelley, K., Mart, D., Strug, D. (2021). Heinz Kohut’s Ideas of Self. Psychoanalytic Review, 108(2), 197 – 213.
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Strozier, C. B., Strug, D., Pinteris, K., Kelley, K., Mart, D. (2019). Termination in Self Psychology: the contribution of Heinz Kohut. Psychoanalytic Review, 106(6), 537-558.
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Strozier, C. B., Strug, D., Pinteris, K., Kelley, K. (2018). Sexualization in the Work of Heinz Kohut. Psychoanalysis, Self and Context, 13(2), 171-185.
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Strozier, C. B., Strug, D., Pinteris, K., Kelley, K. (2017). Heinz Kohut’s Theory of Aggression and Rage. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 34(3), 361-367.
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Strozier, C. B., Strug, D., Pinteris, K., Kelley, K. (2014). On Dreams. International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, 8(3), 324-338.
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Selected Presentations
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Strozier, C. B., Pinteris, K., Kelley, K., Mart, D. David Terman, MD Moderator (October 2022) The New World of Self: Heinz Kohut’s Transformation of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. Presenter, Meet the Author, structured presentation for the annual conference of the International Association of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology, Washington, DC.
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Strozier, C. B., Pinteris, K., Kelley, K., Mart, D. (February 2021). Heinz Kohut’s Concept of Sexualization, Presenter for workshop at Training and Research in Intersubjective Self Psychology (TRISP), New York, NY.
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Kelley, Kathleen (2013 - 2020) Trauma and Addictions, Lead presenter New York Pathways Family Program. Family education series, New York, NY
Kelley, Kathleen (2012) Bridging Psychotherapy and Spirituality, Presenter - Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute Post-Conference Forum.
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Kelley, Kathleen (2009 - 2011) Family Systems and Addictions, Presenter/Educator - Physicians in Residence Program, Hazelden Foundation, New York, NY.
Kelley, Kathleen (February 2009) Spirituality and Addiction, Co-Presenter with Christopher Kennedy Lawford co-hosted by PSI and Trinity Wall Street, New York, NY.
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Kelley, Kathleen (December 2001) Treatment of Traumatized Homeless Women. Presenter at the International Society for Trauma Treatment Specialists 17th Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
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