Royal Kelly

Specialties

• Somatic and trauma-informed healing
• Parent coaching & maternal mental health
• Anxiety, depression, overwhelm
• Attachment wounds & early developmental trauma
• Identity, self-worth & inner critic
• Grief and loss
• Burnout, perfectionism, people-pleasing
• Neurodivergence in pre-teens and teens
• Intergenerational & ancestral trauma

Modalities & Trainings

• Somatic Experiencing® (SEP)
• Maternal Mental Health Certified with Postpartum Support International
• Shame Resilience Theory
• Attachment Theory
• Child-Centered Play Therapy
• Parent Coaching
• Neurodivergence in children and teens
• Mindfulness-based practices

Professional Affiliations

• National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
• Somatic Experiencing International (SEI)
• Austin in Connection
• Association for Play Therapy (APT)
• Texas Play for Therapy Association (TxAPT)

My Approach

Royal offers therapy for individuals, adolescents, and caregivers who are seeking a welcoming space to be seen and heard in life’s challenges. Many of her clients arrive exhausted from perfectionism, caregiving, or trying to hold it all together. Royal believes therapy is not about “fixing”, but about serving you in reconnecting with your values, your voice, and your capacity to move through life with more clarity and ease.

In her work, Royal invites you to slow down and be in the present moment. Using body-based tools, creativity, and gentle exploration, she attends to the nervous system to make space for what’s been silenced and aid you in rediscovering the parts of you that carry their own inner wisdom.

Royal’s approach is warm, collaborative, and rooted in neuroscience and attunement. She draws from trauma-informed, somatic, and relational modalities to support clients through anxiety, emotional distress, parenting challenges, and complex relational patterns. Her sessions offer a steady, compassionate presence where all parts of you are welcome including the parts that feel harder to embrace.

Royal earned her Masters in Social Work from the University of Houston and is currently a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner in training entering her intermediate year. She also holds a certificate in Maternal Mental Health from Postpartum Support International with experience serving pregnant and parenting caregivers.

Whether you’re experiencing burnout, life stressors, or relational challenges, Royal supports you in feeling more connected – to your body, your relationships, and your sense of self. Therapy with Royal is an invitation to establish a co-created space where the beautiful complexity of being human is always welcome.

A Little About Me

Royal has always been drawn to connection—to understanding what makes people feel safe, empowered, and seen. Royal received a degree in Marketing from The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business and spent her early career in technology and marketing before turning toward healing work. The shift to social work—and later to trauma-informed therapy—was a return to what always mattered most to her: relationships, meaning, and care.

Royal received her MSW from the University of Houston in 2023 and has continued her education through Somatic Experiencing® and maternal mental health training. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling with her husband and two young daughters, cooking for friends and family, and taking long walks in nature with her dog, Daisy. Therapy for Royal is both a calling and a conversation and she continues to feel so grateful to do this work.