Welcome,

My name is Kelly. I founded the Free School in 2016 to offer safe space to people trying to stay off drugs and alcohol. We started by providing free learning circles around Worcester county about addiction, recovery, mental health, women’s self development, and expressive arts and mindfulness.

I was a state licensed mental health provider for 10 years. I the made the decision to no longer pursue licensure in 2024.  I did this to be able to show up to my personal and family life in ways that feed me and us.

My own journey with mental health, wellness, and substance abuse issues is an important part of my experience and drove my vision long before it got us here.  This is my twenty-fifth year without drugs and alcohol on an integrative recovery path.  I love sharing experiences and skills I’ve learned with others.  My own developmental experiences drive my vision to bring trauma-informed wellness to our community.

My walk has been an earth path for about 30 years.  This means I find my home in nature and her passings. At times I chronicle about it and host open seasonal celebrations for the general or Free School community. Writing is my first expressive go to, and all forms of expressive arts for health and wellness is one of my primary interests.

Ten years of my life were spent teaching life skills, workforce development, literacy, high school diploma preparation, and english as a second language to adults.  It exposed me to all types of people of all ages and cultures and heritages and differences, and likenesses.

I will always be a lifelong, enthusiastic learner which is probably why I also love teaching.  I’ve been teaching women about trekking the moon phases and how it is useful as a metaphor for cycles of menstruation, as well as seasons and ages and stages of life, for a long time.  I have also been learning and growing and recovery coaching and offering thoughtful, trauma-informed and embodied empowerment a long time, too.

My professional journey included extensive trainings, degrees, and certifications.  Some examples are trauma based somatics (body-based), depth and archetypal psychotherapy, psychodynamic including attachment and self-object,  family systems, DBT, trauma informed EMDR, multiple styles of mindfulness applications, EFT or tapping, addiction and neural response (RDS), trauma informed expressive arts, hypnosis, bilateral somatics and other energy work, group therapy and technique, decolonizing therapy, sacred circle practice, and other nature-based and embodiment techniques.  Liberation and non-dualism motivate my path.

Beach bumming is my first passion! I love playing in nature, writing, outdoor travel, enjoying my kids and family and good relationships, making art, dancing, experiencing poetry and live music, and eating–especially tacos and food or medicine I grow myself.

Drop me a line or pick up the phone. Let’s chat 🙂