Sage Spotlight - January 2021

Question and Answer Session with Sage Center Atlanta therapist, Kelly pierce, M.A.

Each month moving forward, Sage Speaks, will focus on one of our Sage Center Atlanta therapists. It can be hard to choose a therapist and our hope is that by spotlighting each of our therapists and some of the types of therapy they practice and their specialties, you will have a better understanding of which therapist might be the best fit for you. 

For the month of January our Sage Spotlight is, Kelly Pierce, M.A.

Kelly has her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. Kelly specializes in helping clients heal from emotional trauma, and she is passionate about teaching others to process their emotional experiences in order to live the meaningful and fulfilling lives they deserve. Her approach incorporates evidence-based research from interpersonal neurobiology, somatic experiencing, emotional intelligence training, and trauma-informed psychodynamic theory. Kelly is proud to be an LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist, and she actively works to create inclusive spaces for all genders and all identities.

Question: How would you describe your counseling style?

Answer: My style is emotion-focused and growth-oriented. I focus a lot on emotions and emotional experiences. I think our American culture teaches us to suppress our emotions, and I think a lot of us humans are in pain because of that. When our emotions are ignored or pushed away, they get stuck. When emotions get stuck, they live in the unconscious and impact us and our actions daily without our knowledge or control. Therefore, my style focuses on encouraging emotional experiences, validating these experiences, and learning the tools to let our emotions come and go without getting stuck. This opens us humans up to living bigger, brighter, more fulfilling lives.

Question: What is the most important part of your practice?

Answer: Making sure my clients feel unconditional positive regard. I am 100% on their side and want the absolute best for them. As a result, I want them to learn to feel the same way about themselves. 

Question: What do you hope your clients gain from therapy sessions with you?

Answer: I hope my clients feel supported unconditionally. I also hope that together we can continue taking small steps toward the healing they desire in every session.

Question: What is something that you continue to learn about as a therapist?

Answer: I continue to be amazed by the human capacity to heal.

Question: What type of therapy do you provide?

Answer: I provide insight-oriented therapy. This means that we will often look back at your past to understand how your past experiences influence the present you. With this insight, we can heal or make subtle changes to expand the potential for present and future you. 

Question: What type of clients do you see? Age, gender, religion, race, ethnicity, life events, diagnosis, issues, personality etc.

Answer: I work with adults who are looking to heal from emotional trauma. I am affirmative of all identities and genders.
My ideal client is a millennial who is looking to heal from past emotional trauma (emotional neglect, emotional abuse, narcissistic abuse, manipulation). Often they feel lonely and misunderstood, or they feel like something is wrong with them. Sometimes they are stressed out people pleasers; sometimes they are really tough on themselves. They feel plagued by certain emotions and terrified of others. All of these experiences come as a result of emotional trauma, and they all can be resolved by learning to feel your feelings. 

Question: Do you take insurance? If so which ones?

Answer: No, private pay only.

Question: Do you provide therapy in person, virtually, or both?

Answer: Currently in January 2021, I am only seeing clients virtually. 


For more information about our Sage Center Atlanta therapists, check out our team page here. 

If you or a loved one would like to reach out to a Kelly Pierce, M.A. or another Sage Center Atlanta therapist you can contact us via phone or email.
Phone: 404-419-6221 or Email: [email protected]

*If you are a Georgia resident and in crisis please call the Georgia Crisis Access Line 1-800-715-4225. If you are experiencing a medical emergency please call 911.

*Please note this blog or any social media posts from Sage Center Atlanta do not serve in the place of therapy or mental health services. 

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About Author

Amber Amick, APC, NCC, Professional School Counselor serves as the Director of Marketing and PR for Sage Center Atlanta. Amber is a practicing Sace Center Atlanta clinician and school counselor in the Metro Atlanta area. Amber is under the supervision of Sage Center Atlanta co-founder, Pegge Riley, LPC, CPCS and the direction of ​Sage Center Atlanta co-founder, Angela Wacht, LPC, NCC.