Ericka Kelly, LPCC

About Ericka

I decided I wanted to become a therapist while I was working in accessibility resources at Fort Lewis College. I was working with a student who was really struggling with being in college, being neurodivergent, and trying to balance everything, and we reached a point that was so connected and so emotional that I had to stop and walk them over to the counseling center. That was outside what I could do in my role, and it was heart-wrenching to have to hand off that part. I had the academic piece and the executive-functioning piece, but I wanted to be able to help with the social and emotional piece too. So I went and got the training to do exactly that.

I grew up in Dolores, in Montezuma County, and that’s a big part of why I do this work and where I want to do it. There’s a real need there for more mental health counselors, and not just people who know the language and the field, but people who know what it’s like to grow up in that place and the specific hardships that come with it. I don’t represent everyone there, but I know a lot of what people are carrying, and going back to serve that community is my way of answering a place that gave me so much.

Outside of therapy, I’m happiest outside. Rock climbing, rafting, hiking, or honestly even just lying in the grass in the sun. That’s my happy place, and it always has been.

Ericka’s Approach to Care

I use a lot, but I’m definitely an ACT therapist at heart, and I also lean on CBT. Most of all I work from unconditional positive regard. I want you to know that you have the answers to your own problems. I might have some tools to help you find them, but we’re going to sit in it together, and I’m here as your cheerleader and, when you need it, a mirror.

I think anxiety is a natural and useful part of being human. If we got completely comfortable with everything, we wouldn’t get up off the couch to do the laundry or the harder things that actually move life forward. Anxiety only becomes a problem when it starts preventing you from engaging in life the way you want to, when it paralyzes you. So treating it isn’t about making it disappear. What treatment looks like depends a lot on the flavor of anxiety you’re dealing with, because anxiety is an elevation in the nervous system and can be a kind of trauma response. We find the ways that soothe yours, whether that’s mindfulness and meditation, coming back to the present moment, or small achievable steps that give you enough of a lift to move through it.

The way I’d put it on a billboard heading into Dolores: mental health is a lot like the check-engine light on your car. We all have those little warning lights come on. We go to the doctor, we go to the chiropractor, but if we skip the mental-health part, we miss something important, and eventually the car breaks down. Running the diagnostic and caring for the whole system is just part of taking care of yourself.

I’m especially drawn to working with the older folks in Montezuma County, the ranchers and the retirees, and I’ve also worked a lot with Latin American clients and with college-age young adults. I’ve yet to meet a client I haven’t truly enjoyed working with.

Ericka’s education and experience

Ericka’s license information

Credential: Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC)
License: #0024969
State: Colorado