Kelly Graves, PhD is an international presenter in the areas of trauma, trauma-informed care, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and resiliency. She is sought after as a trainer and technical assistance provider in the areas of trauma and resilience, recently assisting in Guam, Japan, Hawaii, and several other countries and states. She was invited to the White House under the Obama Administration to participate in Think Tank sessions on building community safety and resiliency. She is a consultant with the Office for Victims of Crime, OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC) with the United States Department of Justice, and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill AHEC Training Partnership program.
Dr. Graves is a clinical psychologist in NC and spent almost 16 years in academia in the UNC system. As a retired tenured Associate Professor, Dr. Graves felt the call to move from the classroom to the community. So, she founded Kellin, PLLC, and its non-profit partner the Kellin Foundation, which has now been recognized nationally and a partner with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Read about Kellin’s Story here.
She is accomplished scholar with dozens of peer-reviewed publications, books, and book chapters. Dr. Graves believes strongly in bridging research to practice in community-based settings, and has implemented dozens of large grants resulting in systems change and enhanced service delivery. She co-developed the Greensboro Child Response Initiative, a law enforcement-mental health partnership model, which was supported by US Department of Justice and has now been replicated nationally in at least four different jurisdictions.
Dr. Graves has extensive experience providing direct clinical services as well, which provides a unique perspective in her trainings and workshops. She is one of only a handful of clinicians in North Carolina to be nationally certified in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), with experience both as a clinical and as a trainer. She is also certified in EMDR, Seeking Safety, and several other trauma-specific treatment modalities.
Her awards include the American Psychological Association Division 56 Trauma award, the Triad Business Journal Top 40 Leaders Under 40 award, named as a Top Psychologist award with the International Association of Health Care Professionals, a finalist in WGHP’s Remarkable Women of the Triad in 2020, and several others.