Kelly Drake , LMSW

Kelly Drake is a clinical social worker and a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) who brings more than two decades of experience in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Her clinical training is grounded in family systems thinking, psychodynamic ideas including free association, and strength-based approaches that focus on individual and family resources.

During the first decade of her career she concentrated on suicide assessment and trauma treatment for children ages 4 to 17, working with young people who often presented with severe mental illness and histories of abuse from diverse communities across the Detroit, Michigan area. She provided services through multiple community mental health agencies and school systems, developing experience with complex family dynamics and crisis intervention.

After college she pursued service in the Army as an Officer and social worker. Over the next ten years on active duty she continued work in suicide risk assessment and trauma treatment for Soldiers and their families. In military settings she adapted a solution-focused orientation and incorporated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ideas to address nightmares and sleep disturbance. She also received training in Cognitive Processing Therapy as an evidence-based method for treating PTSD.

Her therapeutic manner is calm, collected, and perceptive, offering accurate empathy and practice conducted with respect and dignity. She proceeds at a client's pace while being direct about what must change for progress to occur. For her, social work is a vocation rather than merely a job, and she expresses appreciation for the opportunity to be invited into the most vulnerable parts of another person's life.

Approaches That Inform Online Care and What to Expect

Kelly Drake integrates approaches that translate well to remote work, including Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in close relationships and how early attachments shape current emotional responses - it can be helpful for those struggling with trust, abandonment, or intimacy-related concerns. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a respectful, nonjudgmental therapeutic relationship in which the client’s values and goals guide the work - it supports people coping with life transitions, grief, or low self-esteem. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches practical strategies to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, making it effective for anxiety, sleep problems, and mood difficulties.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Kelly collaborates with each person to assess needs, preferences, and goals, and she tailors methods so the work fits the individual rather than forcing a single model onto every situation.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options allow sessions to fit into busy schedules, support continuity during life changes, and make it possible for therapy to continue when in-person meetings are not feasible. Licensed professionals can adapt these formats to deliver focused, practical care that aligns with a client’s circumstances and goals.