Hello, I’m Kelly Halonen. I was born and raised in Thunder Bay and have been working in the mental health field for over a decade. I have earned both my HBSW and MSW from Lakehead University. I’m pretty laid back and use humour (as appropriate) to help counselling feel less intimidating. Having done counselling myself, I know how hard it can be to find a good counsellor whom you connect with, and I believe being nonjudgmental and down-to-earth helps ease this struggle.
I have dealt with anxiety, depression, and PTSD in my life which I feel gives me a unique lens to understand how these mental health struggles can affect some people (of course everybody’s experience is unique to them!). I am a survivor of sexual assault and have a particular interest in working with this population to help them heal and find themselves and their voice again. I am also a member and ally of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
My main area of interests are working with trauma, working with sexual assault survivors, and sex therapy. I am trained in EMDR (and multiple protocols within EMDR) to help people better process and heal from their trauma. I also use a variety of other approaches including CBT, DBT, strengths-based, harm reduction, and client-focused. I am trained in Gottman Levels 1 and 2 so I can provide relationship counselling, and I am also trained in sex therapy. I have worked both individually and, in a relationship setting, to help people explore what is affecting their sex life, sexual issues that may be present, and how to have a fulfilling sex life again either on your own or with someone.
