Today we’d like to introduce you to Keely Petty, CPsy.D..
Keely, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Dr. Keely Petty’s entry into the fields of trauma and mental health was driven by a combination of personal history, lived experience, and a specific turning point in her professional training.
Personal Motivation and Lived Experience
Dr. Petty’s interest in trauma is rooted in her family history. She describes her story as beginning with her mother, who experienced “toxic trauma” after being abandoned by her own mother. Growing up listening to these stories and witnessing the resulting emotional turmoil—which Dr. Petty describes as “psychological warfare”—led her to spend a lifetime investigating the effects of trauma through both therapy and her faith. She eventually transitioned this “pain into purpose,” seeking to help others who share similar struggles.
Professional Turning Point
Her formal entry into the mental health field was solidified through a specific training program:
NAMI Certification: She became a certified Mental Health Coach through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) “Bridges to Care” program.
The “Shift Shaper” Realization: Following this training, she recognized a significant gap in how faith leaders and congregants viewed mental illness. As a local pastor, she felt called to be a “shift shaper,” encouraging religious communities to move away from the mantra that “what goes on in the house stays in the house.”
Educational and Career Foundation
To support her mission, she built a diverse background in counseling and advocacy:
Academic Background: She holds a B.A. in Communication Arts from the University of the Incarnate Word, as well as a Master’s and a Doctorate in Christian Counseling from The Royal Priesthood Academy.
Specialized Training: She expanded her expertise by becoming a Certified Temperament Counselor, a Community Health Worker, and a Recovery Coach, with certifications in trauma recovery and suicide prevention.
Community Leadership: Since 2020, she has hosted Matters of the Mind, a bimonthly community conversation on mental wellness. She also founded the BIPOC Faith Wellness Collective to provide trauma-informed resources specifically to communities of color.
Today, Dr. Petty serves in several high-level advisory roles, including the board of the Center for Health Care Services Foundation and as the Texas Training Coordinator for the WestCare Foundation’s Trauma-Informed Ministry Model.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Dr. Keely Petty’s journey into trauma and mental health advocacy was shaped by both personal history and significant cultural hurdles. Her challenges centered on dismantling long-standing taboos and addressing systemic gaps in care for minority communities. 1. Breaking the “Silence” Culture One of the primary obstacles Dr. Petty faced was the deeply ingrained cultural mantra: “What goes on in this house stays in this house.” In many BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities, there has historically been a strong resistance to discussing personal struggles or mental illness outside of the family. Dr. Petty had to work against this “culture of silence” and the fear of judgment that often prevents people from seeking professional help. 2. Overcoming Stigma in the Faith Community As a pastor herself, Dr. Petty encountered the challenge of shifting the mindset of faith leaders. Traditionally, many religious institutions viewed mental health issues through a strictly spiritual lens, sometimes mislabeling clinical conditions as “demons” or “unclean spirits.” She had to advocate for a “shift-shape” in leadership—encouraging pastors to move beyond just “praying for” congregants and instead embracing mental health training and clinical resources. 3. Addressing Intergenerational and Historical Trauma Dr. Petty identifies historical trauma and medical distrust as major barriers. She notes that the history of psychology in the U.S. often excluded people of color, failing to account for the psychological impact of events like lynchings or systemic abuse. This exclusion led to: A lack of representation: The scarcity of therapists who “look like” the people in the community they serve. Deep-seated distrust: A legitimate fear of a medical system that has historically abused or marginalized minority populations. 4. Personal Roots of “Toxic Trauma” Her drive to enter this field was rooted in her own family’s struggles. She has shared that her mother experienced “toxic trauma” after being abandoned by her own mother (who didn’t want to be married to a pastor) and subsequently raised by a “barren stepmother.” This environment led to years of emotional turmoil that trickled down through generations, providing Dr. Petty with a firsthand understanding of how unresolved trauma affects family dynamics. 5. Lack of Accessible Education Before establishing her current programs, Dr. Petty observed that high-level de-escalation and psychological first aid training were rarely offered to communities of color. She had to build the infrastructure—such as the BIPOC Faith Wellness Collective—to ensure these tools were available in spaces where people felt safe, such as their local churches.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kick Start Your Life™ with Dr. Keely!?
Kick Start Your Life™ with Dr. Keely! is a global wellness coaching, training, and consulting mission service founded by Dr. Keely Petty. The company serves as a critical bridge between spiritual wellness and clinical mental health care, specifically designed to empower individuals and organizations to become “self-healing communities.”
Dr. Keely’s specialized brand is widely recognized as a “Shift Shaper” and an Empowerment Specialist. Her brand specializes in Trauma-Informed Care and Mental Health Literacy, with a unique focus on: Faith Communities: Dismantling the stigma surrounding mental illness in congregations. She’s passionate about Faith-Based Mental Health: Equipping faith leaders and church members to integrate clinical mental health resources into spiritual frameworks. Cultural Responsiveness: Providing training that respects and incorporates the cultural and historical contexts of the communities being served.
People should know that Dr. Petty’s services are expansive and reach far beyond her home base in San Antonio, Texas—extending to South Africa, Maui, and Puerto Rico. Her key service include: Mental Health Spiritual First Aid: A form of early intervention for individuals in spiritual or emotional distress following crises or trauma. The Mental Wellness Faith Collective: is a coalition designed to equip churches to become “healing hubs,” providing them with ongoing training, tools, and resources. “Matters of the Mind” Webcast: A virtual community conversation that has reached over 250,000 individuals worldwide, discussing mental health topics openly.
KSYL Success Strategy Sessions are energetic, solution-oriented coaching focused on eight dimensions of wellness, including emotional, spiritual, financial, and sexual health. Dr. Keely provides specialized training includes mental health and menopause coping training, substance abuse prevention, and verbal de-escalation for community leaders and people from all walks of life! Her guiding mantra: “Helping humanity hold onto hope until healing happens.”
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Beyond her well-known professional work in trauma and mental health, there are a few facets of Dr. Keely Petty’s life that reflect her commitment to community and her identity as a “Shift Shaper” Dr. Keely served as the Chair of the City of San Antonio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission. In this capacity, she oversaw the organization of what is widely recognized as the largest MLK march in the United States, which has seen upwards of 375,000 marchers.
She is affectionately known as the “Mother Teresa” within her local San Antonio community, this nickname stems from her work at the Bethel Community Development Corporation, Inc. and the Mental Wellness Faith Collective where she lives her “life mantra” is taken from Mother Teresa who said. “If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten we belong to one another.” A “Homegrown” alumni pride: Dr. Keely holds a deep personal connection to the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW). She chose the school because it “felt like home” the word of God earning her B.A. in Communication Arts there before pursuing her master’s and doctorate in Christian Counseling.
Dr. Keely has deep ties to San Antonio and has a personal connection to the historic Dignowity Hill neighborhood as her great uncle George Clark a 1940 graduate of Tuskegee who was the state of Texas first African American licensed master plumber in the state of TX who also established the first Africa American plumbing company GH Clark and Son Plumbing in 1941 which is still operable today, her great uncle helped to establish the Plumbing Department at the HBCU St. Phillips College. Her mother-in-law worked at the Ella Austin Community Center’s day care center long before Dr. Keely established trauma training and mental health programs there, making her current work at that location a meaningful full-circle family legacy.
She is a San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, and has served as a City of San Antonio Commissioner on the Mayors Status of Women. Dr. Keely is a humorist at heart and loves good books, bubbler baths, long walks, deep conversations, and traveling abroad with family and friends, her life manta is “Helping humanity hold onto to hope until healing happen!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://keelypetty.com
- Instagram: @drkeelypetty
- Facebook: Keely Holland Petty
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/keely-petty-cpsy-d-368bb510
- Twitter: @drkeelypetty
- Youtube: @dr.keelypetty1755
