Kelly grew up locally in small-town Connecticut and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Connecticut and a master’s in mental health counseling at Hofstra University on Long Island. She has experienced a wide variety of clinical work, from acute hospitalization, extended day programming for individuals with disabilities, outpatient therapy, and Comprehensive Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Her passion for advocacy and destigmatizing mental health care has led her to pursue work beyond the therapy room, participating on a clinician panel and content committee at the 2024 Yale National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder conference. She believes that much of the work to improve mental health outcomes also occurs at the community level. She joined the Turnbridge team with this in mind after witnessing the collaborative, expansive efforts each member of the staff takes to prioritize client success.
In her personal life, Kelly can rarely be found staying idle. She spends most of her time listening to music and attending concerts, and her creative interests extend to painting, performing poetry at open mics, sewing and designing clothing, and reading. Her adventurous nature and independent spirit have pushed her to travel and connect with people wherever she goes. Her philosophy in life is that there are always new things to experience and stories to hear, and the world is a vibrant landscape from which one can continuously learn. Kelly loves bringing this approach into sessions with her as she gets to know client stories, helping them find similar enthusiasm for the world beyond their diagnosis.
Peter McConnell has been working in the behavioral healthcare field for more than 14 years and the education field for more than 24 years. Peter holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Science in Political Science with a concentration in international relations from Southern Connecticut State University where he was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta honors society. In addition to his work at Turnbridge, Peter teaches college courses in economics and banking at a local community college.
Peter’s career began in the banking industry while pursuing his undergraduate studies. After working his way up to management at a local bank, Peter’s flair for education became apparent, thus, he transitioned from the field of finance to education. His first teaching position was at a local New Haven school where Peter taught social studies and geography and was elected Rookie Teacher of the Year and Teacher of the Year.
Peter began his career in behavioral health over a decade ago when he joined Turnbridge as a case manager. He was program director in the young men’s program where he had been twice elected by his fellow colleagues as Boss of the Year, and more recently transitioned into a Professional Development role where he’s responsible for helping Turnbridge’s next generation of talent hone their skills. Peter’s life objective is to help those who are struggling in life to understand WHY they are struggling, whether it be vocationally, academically, mentally, and/or behaviorally, and to comprehend how a program of action can improve their condition on multiple levels.
In his free time, Peter has years of experience as a lifeguard, group hike leader, sponsor, mentor, and community leader. He finds that spending time outdoors is a vital healing experience for himself and his clients.
For over a decade, Peter and Turnbridge have been supporting clients in ever-improving ways as the treatment world has evolved.
