About Alison at AK Counseling, Inc.

“Therapy is no stranger to me and up until working with Alison, I had pretty much lost faith in the benefits of therapy. Alison has proven quite the opposite. My personal life was shattering before me (i.e. going through separation and divorce; challenges of balancing a new romantic partner and being a single parent) and guidance was essential.

Her approach to sessions allows one to feel human. I came to her with a full plate and not once has she made me feel like I was in the wrong. She remains objective and positive while incorporating fresh, current tools to improve my quality of life. She never makes me feel ashamed to bring up anything in session. Alison has a genuine interest in helping and has gone above and beyond, even outside of session time, to assist during crucial moments of need.” – SG, 35-year-old

Alison Kilkelly, LCSW – Licensed Therapist & Relationship Expert marriage Counseling Madison

Romantic, Personal, & Professional Relationships

Healthy Communication | Conflict Resolution

Marriage | Pre-Marital | Infidelity | LGBTQ-friendly

Self-Discovery & Development | Life Transitions

Depression | Anxiety

Professionally…

By the time I was a sophomore in high school I knew that providing therapy was my dream career because of my genuine passion for the well-being of others and ‘all things psychology’. I displayed a strong therapeutic skillset from a young age and became the go-to person for friends and classmates in distress. About Alison at AK Counseling, Inc.

The first step toward pursuing this career was earning my BA in Psychology at UW-Madison. I enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to enroll in an extra academic year of upper-level psychology coursework (just for fun!), before earning my degree in 2004. To get more life and business experience I pursued my secondary career interest: Marketing and Advertising. After enjoying an eight-year career in advertising sales it was time to pursue my passion – psychotherapy – and I enrolled in a clinical master’s program at UW-Madison.

In 2011 I began volunteering my time on a weekly basis with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) to assist Madison-area residents who are victims of physical, verbal, mental, emotional, and financial abuse. One-on-one meetings with these individuals provide support, resources, and education to aid in their safety and ultimately improve their quality of life.

Before opening AK Counseling, Inc. to focus on work with couples and adults I had extensive therapeutic training with a wide variety of individuals who face mental health challenges including families in crisis, personality disorders, depression, anxiety, sexual abuse, trauma, PTSD, substance abuse, marital conflict, sexual challenges, infidelity, non-traditional relationships, eating disorders, and developmental impairments. My training included the implementation of a variety of therapeutic models including Cognitive-Behavioral, Person-Centered, Solutions-Focused, Emotionally-Focused, Imago, Mindfulness, Exposure, and Internal Family Systems. About Alison at AK Counseling, Inc. About Alison at AK Counseling, Inc.

I am a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Dane County chapter as well as the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Wisconsin chapter. I attend a variety of different professional networking events and enjoy meeting new people! About Alison at AK Counseling, Inc.

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“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.”

– Robert Louis Stevenson

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Personally…

A sense of humor and laughter are very important parts of my life!

Laughter brings levity and balance to me every day and is also a great way to connect with people.

Outside of my therapy practice, I enjoy High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and weight training at two local gyms, hot yoga, cooking anything I can put a healthy spin on, tennis, nature hikes, kayaking, biking to enjoy the scenery, live music of many kinds, golf, new experiences, Northern Wisconsin cabin time, and travel both near and far!

I treasure time with my family and friends and have a very sweet black cat named Nacho.

Other fun nuggets…

I’m a Badger through and through, Madison is my hometown.

Despite living predominantly in the Midwest I’ve been surfing multiple times and love it.

In 2004, to challenge my fear of heights I went paragliding in the Swiss Alps, it was unbelievably picturesque and thrilling. I would even do it again.

My favorite cuisines are Mediterranean, Mexican, and Italian.

In 2007, I faced my fear of heights (again) and went parasailing in Jamaica (by myself, nobody in tandem, scary!).

My birthday is the day after Independence Day and as a child, I believed the firework displays were part of my birthday celebration.

In 2014, to confront my fear of heights (yet again) I went ziplining in Costa Rica. I think of these challenges as giving myself exposure therapy, lol. Funny now; not funny at all at the moment.

I sincerely enjoy meeting new people and I’m the opposite of intimidating.

If you have any questions please, please ask!