Kellie Calderon, LCPC

Kellie is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois who thoroughly believes that each client has the ability to grow and make positive changes in their lives. She emphasizes that with the right guidance and support, individuals can cope with difficult situations, grow, and fulfill their full potential. Kellie enjoys motivating and empowering clients to reach their full potential, providing an empathetic, judgment-free zone essential for achieving and sustaining growth.

Kellie is the founder of Ace Counseling Group and feels this is her passion in life. She aims to help people identify, discover, grow, and heal, realizing their capabilities and strengths to live their best lives.

Kellie’s therapeutic approach is eclectic, drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Person-Centered Therapy, and Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT):
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based approach in which negative thoughts and distortions in thinking are challenged. Once the patterns of thinking are identified, we work to change those patterns which will in turn change your feelings and behaviors.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a CBT approach that helps clients recognize a both-and approach versus an either-or perspective. The basis of DBT is acceptance and change, and it is highly skills-based, teaching clients skills to reach this phase. DBT integrates opposites, such as “I am doing the best that I can and I want to do better,” rather than “I am doing the best that I can but I want to be doing better.”
Person-Centered Therapy is a client-centered approach where the therapist strives to understand the client’s experience from their perspective. It operates on the belief that each person has the innate ability to change and grow, which sometimes becomes clouded by certain life experiences or struggles.
Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) aims at finding solutions in the present time. The foundation of SFBT is goal setting. We will set realistic, identifiable goals and find solutions to achieve those goals.

Kellie is a graduate of Governors State University, where she earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Summa Cum Laude, in 2016. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Saint Ambrose University, which she received in 2012.
Kellie has experience working in multiple settings, including community agencies, private practice, and an Employee Assistance Program. During her graduate studies, she interned at Family Service Association of Greater Elgin Area, gaining experience working with youth, adolescents, and adults with various presenting problems. She co-led groups for adolescents and worked with the SASS team on crisis response. In her time in private practice, she has worked mainly with children, adolescents, and young adults, dealing with anxiety, depression, transitional stress, work stress, and grief. Kellie also has experience working at an Employee Assistance Program, conducting over-the-phone assessments for employees and serving as an EAP counselor on-site at multiple locations, utilizing the Solution Focused Brief Therapy approach due to the short-term counseling model.

In her free time, Kellie enjoys cooking new and challenging recipes to share with family and friends, a joy she developed from cooking with her mom. She spends most of her time with her husband and two boys. She also loves spending time with her dog, Jax.