Meet Kelly Kaitson

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Kaitson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Balance has certainly been an evolution for me. What I thought was a healthy way to balance my work and free time has not always been clear. As a psychotherapist, I regularly invite my clients to explore this elusive quest, but it has become more familiar only after I have stumbled through my own exploration of it.

For many of us, being balanced isn’t a one-time accomplishment but an ongoing relationship we have with ourselves. Early in my career, I believed that management of time required keeping strict boundaries and dividing up my time equally among the many roles and responsibilities I carried. I understand now that it is all more fluid and guided by my own self-awareness, the values I hold dear to me and even the very season of life I’m in.

There have been times when school and work demands required more of my attention and other times when family, rest or personal growth need to be prioritized. Instead of striving for perfection, I’ve learned to ask myself some simple but important questions to check in. What do I need right now? What’s asking for my attention? What is feeling stretched or pressed? These prompts have been my guides while having the self-compassion to pause and inquiring within has become essential in moving towards feeling more balanced.

I’ve also noticed that balance isn’t only about how time is spent but it’s about our energy, meaning and the permission we give ourselves. Allowing myself to stop, decline a task or ask for guidance has helped me attain balance and not only chase after it. It is compassion that allows us to pause and gives us a sense of wellbeing. Compassion comforts the dismissed parts of us, offers them approval so we feel seen in our experience. When this happens, something softens inside. I like to call that softening balance.

Working with trauma in the lives of others can take a toll, as the subject matter is often difficult and activating. This is where balance isn’t just optional, but a necessity. To do this work with sincerity, I’ve had to nurture faith in my own limits, the courage to respect these limits, and the imagination to believe balance as something flexible rather than fixed.
Over time, I’ve learned that balance isn’t only found in stepping away from stress, but it’s sustained by what I step toward. I permit myself to dream of a life that contains both purpose and ease, service and restoration. When I do this, I can stay connected to my calling without being devoured by it.

Despite the practice I’ve had in seeking my own balance, I am far from mastering it. I join clients in navigating these same challenges and I see it as joining them in the human experience that invites kindness, curiosity and adaptability.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My practice was birthed out of years of watching people struggle at the end of life to resolve issues that continued to haunt them until their death. Early in my career I worked in hospice providing psychosocial support to those nearing the end of life’s journey. I would watch as people had difficulty finding peace due to the trauma, hurts and unresolved conflicts that they had gone through. I would support when able and I could help bring some relief, but I also saw that at this time it was almost too challenging to really address the core hurts and traumas as people were almost too impaired mentally and physically to do the work needed to find that ultimate peace.

That’s when I made the decision to go into private practice and help people resolve the issues that chain them long before it was too late. Now I support clients in finding resolve, reprocessing trauma and having accurate beliefs about themselves to not only live a more satisfying and joyful life but to also be able to know they lived a life of integrity instead of despair.

The decision to step away from the security of a job with its good benefits and consistent paycheck was not an easy one but it was essential. I couldn’t stand by and not see resolution to hurts. I just knew helping to resolve the hidden pain in others would bring the freedom they needed and would ultimately bring more goodness into the world. One person at a time.

A lesson I’ve learned is to trust my gut. It’s talking for a reason and it’s not to be ignored. I felt the call to move into a more psychodynamic space with clients and to support them in the resolution of what plagues them. Taking this step was not only a cerebral one but one I couldn’t ignore which spoke from deep inside of me.

I am most proud of creating that safe place where clients come to show their authenticity and be met in a space with compassion and hope that ultimately serves to free them from their past and allows them to walk confidently and joyfully into their future.

I’d want everyone to know that healing is possible, even from the darkest places. There are ways to gently and compassionately unpack the tangled web of trauma’s impact so one can walk freely and untethered from it into their best life and towards the best version of themselves.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Favorite spots in the city! That’s easy!

I love walking in La Jolla and watching the seals and sea lions in Children’s Cove and in La Jolla Cove.
I can spend hours watching the lively sea creatures while kayakers and snorklers glide by. On weekends you can catch art fairs where friendly artisans display their crafts which are unique and personal.

Visiting the majestic Hotel Del Coronado is definately the crown of San Diego! Walking through the victorian hotel, especially during the holidays, takes you back to a time of mystery, romance and elegance. Grabbing a coffee as you shop or stroll the white beach stretching behind it always engages and resets me. I always bring out of town guests here!

Making a stop in Little Italy for some pizza, gelato and live music in the piazza is a must! I follow my nose and typically land at a quaint restaurant dipping fresh bread in olive oil and garlic. Mama Mia!

Balboa Park is another place of great history that I love and allows for families to explore and engage in long walks, interesting museums and of course a delicious meal at The Prado!

As the holidays drawn near I make to sure and attend the Parade of Lights at the Embarcadero, take in a performance at Rady’s Shell and even cruise San Diego Bay!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am fortunate to have many who have nurtured me with their love, encouragement and support. Starting as a child, my parents and family made me feel like the most important person in the room. This attention to my value allowed me to look for the same in others and treat them with that same compassion which has brought out the best in me.

As I grew, dear friends walked with me and saw me through the challenges of growing up. Having long time friends is such a gift and as the old Girl Scout song goes “make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold” has reminded me of the value of those who walk by us.

My husband and son have been strong supporters who encouraged me to push beyond what I believe possible and to do the things that initially seemed overwhelming and scary. My husband has believed for me during times I was too afraid to believe in myself. His contagious confidence in what was good and true rubbed off on me and push me to achieve the private psychtherapy practice I have today.

My greatest shoutout for the family, friends, opportunities and grace that has filled my life go to God who has been carefully designing each step and moment.

Website: https://www.kellykaitson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyktherapy

Yelp: https://share.google/NM24wwqTV9XnZSGgI

Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/kelly-m-kaitson-san-marcos-ca/365577

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2042659225773878

Image Credits
My husband Paul Kaitson took all my pictures.