Dr. Monica Kelson, CA Psychologist

California · 33 years in practice

Dr. Monica Kelson is a California psychologist with 33 years of professional experience.

License and registration

Psychologist, California: 13224 · expires July 2026
NPI: 1922184803 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 33
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.

About Monica

Dr. Monica Kelson is a California psychologist with 33 years of professional experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, depression, grief, career concerns, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue.

She aims to make the first steps into therapy feel understandable and doable. She creates a calm, nonjudgmental space so people can talk about difficult thoughts and feelings. Sessions are conversational and down to earth.

Background and approach

She listens for what matters most and helps clients find concrete ways to move forward. Her approach draws on several methods to match each person’s needs. She uses practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy to notice and change unhelpful thoughts.

She also uses techniques from dialectical behavior therapy to teach coping skills for intense emotions and stressful moments. Dr. Kelson incorporates attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationships affect current patterns.

She also works with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, EMDR, as one option when trauma memories are part of the problem. She and the client decide together which methods feel right. People who seek her help often want clear tools and steady support during life transitions or after painful events.

She encourages small steps and regular check-ins so progress feels manageable. If you are ready to begin, she will guide you through the early scheduling and matching steps.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Monica lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Approaches Monica names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

Approaches you can use in online sessions

Dr. Kelson draws on cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and EMDR to help people address specific problems. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of thinking that change feelings and behavior. Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, teaches practical skills for managing strong emotions, improving distress tolerance, and building better coping routines. EMDR offers a way to work with traumatic memories by supporting the brain’s processing of upsetting events when those memories keep causing distress.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, what has helped before, and which techniques feel comfortable. Together they will try methods that match the problem and adjust as progress is made.

Online therapy makes these approaches accessible through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face connection for skills practice and guided memory work. Phone sessions can be useful when bandwidth is limited or for a focused check-in. Live chat and text-based messaging let people share thoughts between sessions and get brief support on the go. These options offer flexibility to fit therapy into busy schedules while working toward clear, practical goals.

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Questions people ask

What concerns does she help with?

She helps people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, depression, grief, career challenges, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue.

What is her general therapy style?

Her style is calm and conversational. She creates a nonjudgmental space and offers practical tools people can use between sessions.

How much clinical experience does she have?

She has 33 years of professional work experience as a practicing psychologist.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is a California psychologist with the credential listed as CA Psychologist 13224 and practices in California.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

Can people outside the US work with her?

She does not accept international clients at this time.

What session formats are available online?

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging for online therapy.

How do costs and starting therapy work?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

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