KELLY BORGHI, LCSW,
CADC, CODP I

welcome!

PHILOSOPHY & APPROACH:
I believe that people have an inherent capacity to learn, grow, and change, even in the midst of long-standing challenges. I also recognize that choosing to engage in therapy is a meaningful investment of time, energy, and emotional effort.

Therapy isn’t a quick fix or “brain magic.” There isn’t a wand to wave that instantly makes things better. Meaningful change takes work, both in session and in daily life. Much like building physical strength or endurance, what happens between sessions is just as important as what happens in the therapy room. Showing up consistently is one important part of the process; practicing, reflecting, and experimenting outside of sessions is what helps create lasting change.

At the same time, I believe that the therapeutic relationship itself is a crucial part of healing. Building trust, feeling understood, and having a space that feels emotionally safe are foundational to meaningful work. Creating a supportive, nonjudgmental environment where you can show up as you are is something I highly value and prioritize in my work.

My role is to work alongside you — helping you stay accountable to your goals while offering a relationship that is honest, collaborative, and supportive. You are the expert on your own life, and often people already have a sense of what is and isn’t working. Where things can get stuck is understanding why certain patterns exist and how to shift them in a way that feels realistic and sustainable. That’s where I come in, helping you build insight and translate it into meaningful, real world change.

WORKING WITH ME

I work with individuals who are curious about themselves, their patterns, and how to live more authentically and intentionally. Therapy with me is collaborative, insight-oriented, and grounded in both emotional understanding and practical change.

Some of the themes and concerns I commonly work with include:

Identity, Neurodiversity & Self-Understanding

• ADHD, AuDHD, autism, and neurodivergence — with a particular focus on female presentation, high masking, and lower support-needs autism

• Understanding your authentic self vs. your role self (who you’ve learned to be vs. who you actually are)

• Learning about your unique personality, nervous system, and way of processing the world

• Exploring values, identity, gender, and sexuality

• Building self-esteem and a more compassionate relationship with yourself
  

Anxiety, Emotional Regulation & Inner Experience

• Anxiety (including social anxiety, sensory anxiety, and generalized anxiety)

• OCD and obsessive thought patterns

• Hypervigilance and feeling “on edge” or constantly alert

• Identifying emotions and learning emotional regulation skills

• Understanding triggers and developing healthier coping strategies

• Anger, control, and emotional overwhelm
  

Relationships, Communication & Boundaries

• Learning what boundaries are (and aren’t) and how to set them with family, partners, friends, in-laws, work, and in parenting

• Communication patterns — how you communicate now vs. how you want to communicate

• Conflict, confrontation, and repair

• How to apologize and take accountability without shame

• People-pleasing and over-functioning in relationships

• Attachment styles and how they impact relationships

• Dating, relationship patterns, and identifying healthy vs. unhealthy dynamics (especially when healthy relationships were not modeled)

• Improving romantic relationships and understanding love languages

• Building and maintaining meaningful community
  

Life Transitions, Meaning & Balance

• Figuring out your passions, purpose, and sense of meaning

• Exploring identity outside of roles like partner, parent, or caregiver

• Work–life balance and mental load

• Overwhelmed parenting and home management stress

• Learning what mental wellness means for you — whether that includes therapy, medication, movement, creativity, or lifestyle changes

• Self-care and self-love that goes beyond clichés and actually fits your life
  

Insight, Growth & Integration

• Exploring childhood experiences and how they show up in current relationships and patterns

• Identifying defense mechanisms and the vulnerabilities they protect

• Resolving internal barriers that may be keeping you stuck

• Developing insight, self-trust, and emotional flexibility
  

Medication Exploration (as desired)

• Thoughtful conversations about psychiatric medication

• Support in deciding whether medication is right for you

• Collaboration and coordination with psychiatrists and APNs when appropriate
  
  

Individuals I have worked with in the past have said the following about me: 

• “She’s exactly what a counselor should be, and definitely is the type that can connect with anyone”

• “I love working with Kelly...she is so empathetic and compassionate and has a true gift for being able to make a connection with anyone. She’s always eager to help whenever I need it and I genuinely look forward to everyday that I get to talk to her. She is truly a wonderful counselor!” 

• “I enjoy our conversations and she poses questions that make me really think about the way I’m feeling.”

• “Kelly is great! It felt like I was talking with a good friend, but one who was knowledgeable in therapy. She is so easy to talk to!”

• “Kelly is a great counselor and was really understanding with my situation and really motivating and empowering.” 

KELLY BORGHI, LCSW
P: (224) 856-7560
F: (815) 669-4053
E: kelly@borghicounseling.com