Kelly Gavin-Garcia

For more than 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside people as they move through some of life’s most confusing, painful, and uncertain experiences. You may have reached a point where old patterns still show up even when you “know better,” or you may be finding that life transitions, parenting, career, relationships, or identity, are deeper and more complex than you expected. I believe therapy isn’t about “fixing” you or erasing parts of your story. It’s about understanding how your experiences, beliefs, and inner world shape your life today, and learning how to move forward with greater clarity, intentionality, connection, and authenticity. In our work together, we’ll gently explore what’s happening inside, your thoughts, emotions, impulses, and the parts of you that may feel stuck, overwhelmed, or guarded. I draw from a blend of approaches, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Solution-Focused/Strengths-Based therapy, so we can meet your experience where it lives and build toward what matters most to you. I believe effective therapy is both a science and an art. Science provides the evidence-based tools and frameworks that support meaningful change, while the art of therapy allows for flexibility, creativity, and attunement, so those tools can be applied in ways that are unique to you. Many people come to therapy feeling stuck, unable to change certain thoughts or behaviors, or noticing how the past continues to influence their present. Some feel disconnected from themselves or others. Others carry pressure around who they think they should be. If any of this resonates, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Becoming a parent later in life has also deepened my understanding of how often people make assumptions about who we are, what our lives look like, or what we should want, based simply on how we present to the world. Like many of my clients, I’ve had to navigate expectations and judgments that didn’t fully reflect my experience. This perspective has shaped how I show up in the therapy room, with respect for the layered, complex realities people carry and a commitment to creating space where those realities are honored. My role is to offer a safe, supportive space where you can make sense of your inner world and begin shaping a life that feels more aligned with who you truly are. Clients often share that they feel more grounded, capable, and connected, not because life became easy, but because they learned how to meet challenges with self-acceptance, strength, and openness. I believe we all have the capacity to heal and to grow into more authentic versions of ourselves. If you’re ready for a different way of relating to yourself and the world, I’d be honored to walk alongside you. I live in Eugene with my partner, our two young children, and an adorable, rascally terrier who keeps life interesting. I enjoy spending time outdoors hiking in the Pacific Northwest, reading (and enthusiastically keeping my Goodreads profile up to date), and soaking up meaningful time with friends. I was born and raised in California, and I spent several years living in San Diego before making Oregon home.