About Elle:

I hold a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and my work spans psychology, neuroscience, design, innovative technology, and education. Throughout my career, I have worked across research, healthcare, nonprofit, and community settings, drawing on an interdisciplinary perspective to better understand experience and the ways people make meaning of themselves and the world around them.

In my twenties, I became partially blind as a result of Stargardt’s disease. Experiencing the world through a different sensory lens has profoundly shaped both my personal and professional perspective, deepening my interest in mentalization—the capacity to understand ourselves and others in terms of thoughts, feelings, and intentions—as well as the diverse ways beings perceive, experience, and engage with the world.

Professional Background:

My professional experience spans psychology, neuroscience, healthcare, research, and design. Over the course of my career, I have worked and collaborated with leading academic, healthcare, nonprofit, and research institutions, including NASA Ames Research Center, Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, San Francisco, and the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.

My work has also included accessibility consulting and collaboration with cultural institutions, including the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the Stanford Cantor Arts Center, with a focus on universal design. Together, these experiences have shaped an interdisciplinary perspective that continues to inform my consulting, writing, research, and creative work.

  • Clinical Psychology & Mental Health
    Clinical training and experience across outpatient, inpatient, and community mental health settings, including work with anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, behavioral health, and psychological well-being.

    Neuropsychology & Rehabilitation Medicine
    Research and clinical experience in neuropsychology, traumatic brain injury, rehabilitation medicine, and neurobehavioral functioning through work with veterans and individuals living with neurological injury and disability.

    Neuroscience & Academic Research
    Contributed to research in neuroimaging, cognition, reward processing, depression, bereavement, and post-traumatic growth through collaborations with academic and healthcare institutions. Authored peer-reviewed publications and presented research at national and international conferences.

    Accessibility, Inclusion & Consulting
    Consulting and leadership work focused on accessibility, inclusive design, disability inclusion, museum accessibility initiatives, and the application of emerging technologies to improve access and participation.

    Teaching & Mentorship
    Experience teaching and mentoring students in psychology, research methods, statistics, and clinical practice at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

    Principal Designer & Fabrication Engineer
    Design and fabrication of accessible, tactile, and custom products using CAD, digital fabrication, and universal design principles. Projects include assistive technologies, museum accessibility, educational tools, artistic works, and custom solutions for individuals and organizations.

  • Publications:

    Presentations:

    • Kelley, E. (03/02/2023). Basics of the Modern Psychodynamic Approach. Lecture presented in the Clinical Practicum Course for Clinical Psychology Ph.D. students at Texas Tech University.

    • Kelley, E., & Chen, J. (2017, February). Mindfulness Skills to Combat Compassion Fatigue. Lecture presented as part of the staff wellness series at the Acute Psychiatry Inpatient Unit, VA Portland, Portland, OR.

    • Kelley, E. (2017, June). The Creating Capabilities Approach Towards Working with Disability. Lecture presented at the Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences Diversity Seminar Series at the VA Portland, Portland, OR.

    • Rudolph, B., Kelley, E., Gannon, C., & Packman, W. (2015, May). Projective Drawings in Pet Loss. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Western Psychological Association, Las Vegas, NV.

    • Kiely, T., Kelley, E., Lin, G., Su, S., Raba, C., Gomez, R., Trettin, L., Solvason, H., Schatzberg, A., & Keller, J. (2012, November). The neuropsychological performance in Refractory Major Depression and Non-Refractory Major Depression. Poster presented at the annual conference of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Nashville, TN.

    • Kelley, E., Long, M.K., Dinishak, D., & Poole, J.H. (2011, February). Change in psychiatric Symptoms following moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury. Poster presented at the annual conference of Rehabilitation Psychology, Jacksonville, FL.

    • Long, M.K., Kelley, E., & Poole, J.H. (2011, February). Neurobehavioral symptoms and their relationship to posttraumatic stress after TBI. Poster presented at the annual conference of Rehabilitation Psychology, Jacksonville,FL.

    • Kelley, E., Long, M.K., Wells, R., & Poole, J.H. (2011, February). Does handedness influence neuropsychological performance after moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury?. Poster presented at the annual conference of the International Neuropsychology Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

    • Kelley, E. & Poole, J.H. (2010, October). Relation of cognitive impulsivity to executive functioning after Traumatic Brain Injury. Poster presented at the annual conference of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Vancouver, Canada.

    • Kelley, E., Lockwood, C., Loughlin, J.K., & Poole, J.H. (2010, August). Dysfunction and memory strategies on the CVLT-II in TBI patients. Poster presented at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, San Diego, CA.

    • Kelley, E., Loughlin, J.K., Hutson, L., and Poole, J.H. (2010, February). Patient-informant Discrepancy ratings 5 - 15 years post-injury after moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Relation to injury severity and vocational outcome. Poster presented at the 38th annual meeting of the International Neuropsychology Society, Acapulco, Mexico.

    • Loughlin, J.K., Kelley, E., Hutson, L., and Poole, J.H. (2010, February). The relationship between patient community integration, caregiver burden, and caregiver life satisfaction 5-15 years after moderate to severe TBI. Poster presented at the 38th annual meeting of the International Neuropsychology Society, Acapulco, Mexico.

    • Hutson, L., Loughlin, J.K., Sullivan, C., Kelley, E., and Poole, J.H. (2009, November). Theimpact of sensorimotor impairment on community integration and life satisfaction after Moderate to severe TBI. Poster presented at the 29th annual meeting of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, New Orleans, LA.

    • Boettiger, C.A., Kelley,E., Altamirano, L.J., Mitchell,J.M., D’Esposito, M., and Fields, H.L. (2008, March). Now or later? An fMRI study of the effects of endogenous opioid blockade on a decision-making network. Poster presented at the 16th annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA.

    • Altamirano, L.J., Kelley, E., Fields, H.L., D’Esposito, M., and Boettiger, C. A. (2007, November). Opioid regulation of impulsive responding under the influence of alcohol. Poster presented at the 37th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA.

    • Cools, R., Jacobs, E., Altamirano, L.J., Sheridan, M.A., Kelley, E., and D’Esposito, M. (2006, November).Dopamine D2 receptor stimulation potentiates BOLD activity in the striatum during attentional switching. Poster presented at the 36th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA.

    • Sheridan, M.A., Cools, R., Kelley, E., and D’Esposito, M. (2006, January). Differential responses in frontal and inferior temporal cortex during proactive interference and active retrieval in working memory. Poster presented at the 2nd annual meeting of the Bay Area Neuroscience Gathering of the Society for Neuroscience, San Francisco, CA.

  • Community Leadership:

    • Board Director, Peninsula Endowment for the Blind & Visually Impaired

    • Board Director, Vista Center for the Blind NextGen

    • Leadership team, Blind Art Posse, San Francisco Disability Cultural Center

    • Blind Advisory Committee, Lighthouse for the Blind (past)

    • VISN 20 Disruptive Behavior Board, VA Portland (past)

    • Reviewer, Translational Issues in Psychological Science (past)

    Awards:

    • Dissertation Research Grant Award

    • Claremont Graduate University’s Professional Development Workshop Series in Evaluation and Applied Research Methods Full Scholarship

    • National Psychologist Trainee Register Credentialing Scholarship

    • Second author on the Northern California Neuropsychology Forum Student Research Award winning project

    • California Council of the Blind Academic Scholarship Winner

    • American Council of the Blind Scholarship Winner

    • John Mattioli Memorial Kurzweil 1000 Software Award

    • National Youth Leadership International Mission on Medicine

    • Honors Program in Integrative Biology, U.C. Berkeley

    • National Dean’s List, U.C. Berkeley

    • Participant in Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) at Stanford University

    • Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
      Palo Alto University (APA Accredited)

      Research: Stanford University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

    • M.S., Psychology
      Palo Alto University

    • Graduate Studies in Biology
      Stanford University

    • B.A., Psychology & Integrative Biology (Honors)
      University of California, Berkeley

Beyond my work..

Outside of my professional work, I’m endlessly curious about the world and the forces that shape human experience—from psychology, philosophy, and science to nature, animals, creativity, and the larger universe. When time allows, I share both professional and personal topics of interest on my blog, offering prospective clients and collaborators a window into the ideas, questions, and interests that inspire me beyond my work.

If you're interested in working together, I'd be honored to support you on your journey.

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