KEVIN WHOLEY, they/them

My aim is to help you feel seen and understood so that you can meet your goals for change and healing.  In a respectful and safe therapeutic space you’ll have the chance to open up at your own pace and in your own style. My approach is warm, animated, curious and collaborative. Your feedback is not only welcomed but celebrated!

My focus is in treating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, LGBTQIA+ issues, and issues faced by neuro-divergent folks. I enjoy helping clients understand identity, be it gender, sexuality, faith, ideology, or something else. As a queer person with Tourette Syndrome, I have witnessed and experienced how harmful discrimination and marginalization can be.  Therapy with me is a space for radical acceptance and authenticity where you have the room to explore your desires, needs, and struggles, free from judgment.  My intention is not to “fix” you, but to help you learn to listen compassionately to yourself.  This will assist you in attuning to what is most vital and valuable to you so that you can make authentic choices and changes.

Different types of therapy work for different types of people, and so I draw on multiple approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), existential therapy, person-centered theory, and mindfulness-based practices. My dedication to social justice and awareness of intersectionality has guided me towards relational cultural theory, queer/feminist theory, and HAES (Health at Every Size). As a white therapist I’m committed to better understanding and resisting the devastating and dehumanizing impact of racism on our psyches and on our communities. I welcome courageous conversations about race and racism in the therapy room and will do my part to decolonize and dismantle power dynamics embedded in the mental health field.

I hold bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and in Dramatic Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  I’m currently completing a dual master’s degree in Counseling for Mental Health & Wellness and LGBTQ Health, Education & Social Services at NYU.  In my spare time I enjoy listening to music, singing, tumbling, playing video games and running a D&D campaign with friends.

To learn more or set up an appointment with Kevin call (646) 770-0535 or email us at info@realtalktherapynyc.com.