Kelly Cotton

MA, LPCC

Kelly Cotton MA, LPCC (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate in the state of Colorado with a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Denver Seminary. She is committed to meeting children, adults, and families with warmth, compassion, and presence—creating a safe space for exploration, healing, and growth. Kelly is passionate about supporting clients navigating relationship distress, trauma, anxiety, depression, identity development, parenting, women’s issues, and spirituality.

Kelly’s approach to therapy is grounded in attachment theory and informed by relational neuroscience. Kelly believes that healing happens within secure, attuned relationships and that therapy can be a powerful space to cultivate self-trust, regulation, and connection. She integrates a range of evidence-based modalities tailored to each client’s needs, including person-centered therapy, child-centered play therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and polyvagal-informed nervous system work. Kelly takes a holistic approach to care, supporting clients in engaging their mind, body, emotions, and behaviors in the healing process.

 

Before joining Be and Belong Counseling, Kelly worked for four years at a foster and adoption agency, supporting foster, adoptive, and biological families within the child welfare system. She also brings experience working with adolescents as a high school teacher and youth ministry leader. As a parent of three, Kelly draws from both personal and professional experience in her work with children and families.

 

In her free time, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family and friends, practicing breathwork, dancing, cooking, being outdoors, and exploring new places. 

Cultural Resume

• I am a white European American with Scandinavian ancestors who immigrated to the Midwest as farmers three to five generations ago.

•  I grew up in a middle to upper-middle-class family with married parents and was raised within a Judeo-Christian worldview. My extended family has been affected by substance abuse, addiction, and undiagnosed depression and anxiety.

• As a woman, I have faced gender discrimination, bias, and sexual harassment. I recognize that I hold many privileged identities, including being white, English-speaking, a U.S. citizen, cisgender, heterosexual, of high socioeconomic status, educated, able-bodied, and thin-bodied.

 

• I am committed to learning about the experiences of marginalized communities and unlearning any harmful biases or entitlements from my upbringing and society. I strive to advocate for those who have been marginalized, and I approach learning and relationship-building across cultural differences with humility, curiosity, and respect.

 

Meet the Team at Be and Belong Counseling

Abby Esquivel ›

MSW, LCSW, RPT-S, ACS,
EMDRIA Approved Consultant, Founder and Clinical Director

Cyndi Hawkes ›
MSW
Inez Garcia ›
MSW, Bilingual Spanish
Jacqui Case ›
MA, MFT-C,
EMDR Trained
Tim Reid ›

MA, LPC,EMDR Trained

Maggie McEachern ›
MSW, LCSW,
Practice Manager
Nicole Whynott ›
MSW, LCSW, SOMB Juvenile Treatment Provider
Hennessy Mendoza ›

Counseling Intern

Kelly Cotton ›

Counseling Intern

Benjamin Curry ›

Counseling Intern