Kelly McDonnell
Founder + Therapist / MA, MBA, RSW, RPshe/her/hersWhile I am not currently accepting new clients, you are in the right place. Bliss is built on a standard of care I believe in deeply. Every therapist on our team has been personally selected for their clinical expertise, ethical standards, and the quality of presence they bring to the room. I trust them fully and would be honoured to help you find the right fit.
You are strong and capable, the one others rely on. Yet internally, it can feel different. The pressure. The losses. The betrayals. That quiet question of “Is this all there is?” If this feels familiar, you are not alone.
I work primarily with high functioning adults navigating relational complexity, attachment patterns, grief, and the quiet tension between outward success and inner disconnection. My approach integrates attachment science, relational psychotherapy, and depth oriented work to create meaningful, sustainable change. For more than 15 years, I have supported people through heartbreak, burnout, career reinvention, parenthood, and the complex work of rebuilding after loss.
Some come to reclaim intimacy and rekindle desire. Desire is not a luxury. It is a vital force in long-term relationships and asks for intention, honesty, and courage. I believe secure relationships are the foundation of a meaningful life, built on trust, accountability, and emotional maturity.
For many, therapy becomes the moment when insight turns into clarity, confidence, and more secure, connected relationships. These seasons can shake you, but they can also mark the point where you begin showing up differently in love and in life. My role is to help you build a life that feels unmistakably your own, grounded in strong boundaries, emotional steadiness, and authentic connection.
Therapy with me is collaborative and direct. You bring your story and resilience. I bring presence, perspective, and clarity. Together, we move beyond insight into meaningful, lasting change. Healing is not only about loosening the armour that once kept you safe. It is about stepping into greater clarity, courage, and connection in love, work, and within yourself.
At Bliss, healing does not mean shrinking. It means expanding. All identities, bodies, relationships, and lived experiences are welcome here. Real change does not just help you survive, it helps you live fully.
- Individual Therapy
- Relationship Therapy
- Sex Therapy
- Group Work
- Clinical Supervision
- You are a high-achieving human, an executive, business owner, creative, or visionary, someone others lean on. You carry a lot with grace, even as the pressure quietly chips away at parts of you no one sees.
- You are moving through loss, betrayal, or major life transitions and want to rebuild your sense of self.
- You want to explore your attachment style and childhood patterns with depth and compassion, not surface fixes.
- You want secure relationships that feel both safe and electric, grounded in trust and alive with desire.
- You and your partner(s) are navigating desire differences or emotional distance, and you are ready to do the real work of rebuilding connection.
- You long to feel more alive, more connected, and more at home in your own skin.
- You are looking for a therapist who shows up fully, with warmth, humour, open-mindedness, and heart.
Attachment Wounds | Relational Patterns & Emotional Legacy | Self-Trust | Identity & Confidence | Sex, Intimacy & Desire | High-Performance Stress & Burnout | Betrayal | Relational Trauma & Recovery | Generational Trauma | Codependency | Boundaries | Psychedelic Integration | Major Transitions
Therapeutic ApproachMy approach integrates relational depth, somatic awareness, and neuroscience-informed practice so we can work at both the root and relational level. In addition to traditional talk therapy, I am trained in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and offer this work within carefully screened, ethically grounded, and clinically appropriate treatment plans. I draw from:
- Humanistic, Attachment-Based & Relational Therapy
- Psychodynamic, Depth-Oriented & Trauma-Informed Approaches (including EMDR)
- PACT for Couples, Sex Therapy & Somatic-Mindfulness Integration
- Systems Therapy & Intersectional, Culturally and Identity-Affirming Practice
Every day, I am in awe of the resilience of the human spirit, the way we break, heal, and become. The way relationships, both with ourselves and with others, can wound us, and also bring us back to life. I know this not just as a therapist, but as someone who has lived it too.
My path to therapy began with a deep curiosity about connection, how we relate to ourselves, to each other, and to the systems we move through. That curiosity carried me from studying Psychology and Sociology to completing a Master’s in Forensic Sexology in Australia. Later, I earned an MBA in Health Care Administration and a Black Belt in Lean Process Improvement because I believe healing should be accessible and designed with clarity rather than complication.
Bliss Counselling + Psychotherapy has always been a team practice, united by a progressive ethos: therapy that is modern, relational, inclusive, and designed for real life. Today, I focus on shaping Bliss’s next chapter, mentoring clinicians, leading creative initiatives, and developing programs and spaces that support meaningful transformation across personal, relational, and community levels.
I am a Registered Social Worker and Registered Psychotherapist, and a member of AASECT. Beyond any credential, I am deeply curious about people, relationships, and the unfolding process of becoming. Whether I am sitting with a client, designing a healing program, or creating space for connection, my work is guided by care, courage, and a deep respect for the human experience.
I understand how intense grief can rearrange a life. I have also seen how, in the safety of steady relationship(s), people rediscover joy, connection, and a deeper sense of who they are. Grief may reshape us. Love may undo us. We are shaped in relationship, and we heal there too. We are not broken pieces searching for wholeness. We are already whole, learning to live that truth more fully, with ourselves and with one another.
At my core, I am a compassionate witness and an active partner in change. Growth is possible when we are willing to face ourselves honestly. I am here to help you make sense of your story, return to your true self, and create relationships where you can feel safe, seen, and deeply connected.
Many Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and extended health care plans will cover services rendered by a Registered Social Worker and/or Registered Psychotherapist.