Hello! My name is Kelly Richardson
I am a Licensed Psychotherapist as well as a Mom, hence the name “Thera-Mom”.
I live in Northern California with my husband, and our two dogs Sunshine and Fergie. I love being a therapist and offering a safe place for people to take their mask off for one hour and just be themselves. As simple as it sounds, it can be life-changing. I have the privilege every day of watching people’s lives transform as they let go of trying to be who they aren’t and start embracing all that they are. More importantly, I love being a MOM. Each of my kids is so amazingly different, it’s hard to believe they share the same gene pool.
Like most moms, I wear a lot of hats– sister, daughter, wife, friend, mother, cousin, worker. Our roles and jobs are varied and in one day we can wear five or ten different hats. As women, we represent so much within us because each hat matters and each hat allows another side of ourselves to shine.
Let’s be honest- being a Mom is a full-time job no matter how old your kids are and finding time to just do you feels impossible. It’s nice to have a place where we can do life together–unapologetically and authentically–like in my therapy office. Walk this crazy journey called life with me, as hectic and stressful as it may seem at times.
Read my blogs, comment with your thoughts, challenge my thinking, share your ideas, and help me, help you. Thank you Jerry Maguire.
Kelly
Kelly’s Latest Blog Posts
Pickle-Tini’s and Parenting
This past weekend was supposed to be busy. My calendar was full — three birthday dinners, a wedding shower, and a surprise birthday brunch. One of those weekends that looks packed from start to finish. Then, on Wednesday, my phone buzzed. It was my daughter. “Mom…...
The WTF Chapter
Last week, I was sitting with a client in her twenties. She graduated college. Got the job. Checked the boxes. On paper, her life had officially begun. But internally, she felt lost. I asked her a question I frequently ask during times of transition, “What would...
The Secret to Empty Nesting Isn’t What You Think
What’s the secret to empty nesting? Find fun girlfriends. Last week, my gal-pals and I went bowling for Galentine’s Day, our silly matching shirts making us look like a team. Which, in a way, we are. We’ve been together since 2021, meeting up every month. Somewhere...
The Conversation You Keep Avoiding
Not long ago, I caught myself avoiding a conversation I knew I needed to have. You know the kind. The one that sits in the back of your mind, quietly tapping you on the shoulder. The conversation you mentally rehearse over and over but never quite begin. So I...
The Quiet Lesson of Peace
Recently I started following the group of Venerable Monks walking from Texas to Washington, D.C. Their journey, documented on social media, is called Walk for Peace. Walking alongside them is Aloka, their gentle rescue pup, a subtle reminder that compassion and...
I Wish She Knew
This is high school me. 40 short years ago. Unsure about what was next. Scared to grow up and uncertain if I was enough. Sad for that chapter to end. Not sure if I was ready to leave my parents. I wish she knew not to worry because the life she builds is a good...
Owning Your Side of the Counter
I snapped at my husband the other day about not cleaning something up in our bedroom. I call him “Pile Man” because he leaves little piles everywhere. Shoes. Clothes. Papers. Piles. He immediately clapped back about my side of the bathroom counter—the side he never...
A Mom’s Prayer
My youngest heads back for her final semester of college today after being home for Christmas break. I was blessed with everyone home for a few days together. A full house and a very full heart. My house will now be quiet again. There won’t be cups and plates all...
How To Tip-Toe In To 2026
If you’re like me, New Year’s resolutions are a no-go. They feel performative, joyless, and doomed by February. They often fail because they center around all or nothing thinking. Big, sweeping changes. Total life overhauls. And most of us are already tired. So...
All Is Calm, All is Bright: What This Mom Wants for Christmas
What a year it’s been. I’m hoping I’ve stayed off the naughty list and that Santa still knows my address. So what’s on my Christmas list as a mom whose adult kids are home (briefly!) for the holidays? To fall asleep at night knowing every bed is full with the...
A Peace Plan for the Holidays
The holidays are magical. And by magical, I mean a seasonal circus that can leave us feeling half-Grinch, half-George Bailey. As moms we exhaust ourselves trying to create memories our families will cherish forever, while simultaneously trying not to lose our...
Hangxiety Happens: A Therapist’s Guide to Understanding It
I heard a new term recently from a very hip Gen Z. HANGXIETY. Of course they came up with a word that’s both clever and painfully accurate. Hangxiety is the combo of hangover and anxiety. It’s the mental and physical disruption that hits when the alcohol wears off...
What College Kids Need at Thanksgiving: More Rest, Less Plans
If your college student is coming home for Thanksgiving, here is my one piece of advice: don’t plan too much and over schedule their brief time at home. College kids are tired — emotionally, socially, mentally, and physically. Many carry invisible fatigue. They’ve...
A Job About Nothing, Taught Me About Everything
My first job-job was at Video Biz, a movie rental store tucked between a Mervyn’s and a dry cleaner in my hometown strip mall. I say job-job because before that, I’d done the usual teenage hustle—babysitting, working in the high school office, and picking up odd...
Reflections on Aging, Love and Letting Go
There I was, quietly sobbing on a plane. Exit row. No one beside me. Just a pile of damp Kleenex and the blur of tears clouding my view out the window. I had just finished “When Cranes Fly South” on my flight home from visiting my son and his fiancée. It’s a...
