Dr. Sarah Kelder is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor with over 25 years of experience in hospitals, residential treatment centers, outpatient, and community outreach settings. Throughout her career she has provided individual, group, and family psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and adults and has provided psychotherapy and case management to children and teens with ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and other special needs. She earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Health Psychology and Family Therapy from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, IL. She completed her internship at the Danville Veterans Administration Hospital in Danville, IL with rotations in neuropsychology (Boston Process Approach), medical psychology, and in-patient psychiatry. While on her internship, she provided Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to Vietnam and Gulf War veterans with PTSD and substance abuse issues. She completed her post-doctoral training at Haymarket Center in Chicago providing triage, assessment, and psychotherapy to publically-funded clients with addiction and sexual trauma. In her early years, she was involved in community organizing and neighborhood redevelopment on the North and West sides of Chicago, home care for elderly clients with dementia, and case management for homeless, chronically mentally ill clients residing at Chicago O’Hare Airport. She was also an AFS foreign exchange student to Montreal, Canada. For over a decade, she has been a primary and family therapist in a residential treatment center assisting women with eating disorders, PTSD, mood, substance and sexual abuse.
Dr. Kelder believes in a holistic, mind, body, and spirit approach to mental health and uses innovative and body-based methods to accelerate change and reduce distress. She is passionate about helping people relieve unnecessary suffering and find their joy, purpose, and meaning in life. People find her warm and playful with a gentle use of humor that helps clients identify and remove barriers to their fullest potential.
Dr. Kelder has advanced training in numerous modalities including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Somatic Experiencing (SE), Neuro-Affective Relational Model (NARM), SE Touch Training for Therapists, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Guided Imagery, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
Dr. Kelder is also a musician with a bachelor’s degree in music from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in voice performance. She often works with musicians, actors and others in the arts to overcome performance anxiety. She believes that breathwork and sound energy can be an important component in improving mood and reducing anxiety.
