This guest interview explores how to develop strong relationships with the humans in our life and how to push through threatening feelings of vulnerability to achieve intimacy. Many adults fear intimacy. In fact, fearing intimacy and avoiding closeness in relationships is the norm for about 17% of adults in Western cultures (Shorey, 2015). Intimacy has been restated as “into me, you see.” In other words, letting people in to view us up closely can create a feeling of vulnerability. This experience can trigger memories and bring up strong emotions from the past and childhood. For example, if a person does not do their emotional homework, they may struggle to bond in relationships. As such, they may feel closer to an animal than to the people they also love and value. Although animals provide unconditional love and are a powerful emotional support, the humans in our lives need love, too

About Dr. Kelly Bushey

Dr. Kelly L. Bushéy has a Ph.D. in psychology and is a Nationally Certified Counselor. She is an Associate Professor of Applied Psychology at Hodges University in Southwest Florida. She is also a Board Certified Tele-mental Health Counselor (BC-TMHC). Bushéy is also one of an esteemed few to be an Authorized Instructor for the Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis (T-JTA), which enables her to provide counselor certification trainings for the T- JTA. She specializes in working with diverse cultures and is a Subject Matter Expert for Native Americans. In fact, for over two decades she has volunteered for the Warrior Leadership Summit (which now hosts over 700 Native Americans from the US and Canada). In 2013, as a result of her extensive work with American Indian youth, Bushéy was recognized as an Associate Member of the National Congress for American Indians. Additional past employment experience includes being an Executive Director of a Boys and Girls Club; Hospice Community Relations Specialist; Clinical Supervisor of Summit University’s Campus Counseling Center; Behavioral Specialist and Mobile Therapist for Lackawanna County Youth Advocate Program, and a private counseling practice. She is also a motivational speaker and the Founder of Cherith Counseling & Conference Ministries.