I Am Wilshire – Kathryn Keller.
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Education: Baylor University (B.B.A.),
University of Virginia (M.Ed.), Texas Woman’s University (Ph.D.)
Profession: Psychologist
Present city: Dallas
Tell us about your family. I’m married to Merik Gillett, and we have Henri (3) and Hayz (almost 1). Merik and I have been together since 2016. We are a mixed-faith family. Both our families live in Dallas, so our kiddos have frequent adventures with their cousins. My parents, Kenton and Mary Keller, attend Wilshire.
How about your work? I co-own a group psychotherapy practice, where I work individually with adults. I specialize in religious trauma and faith deconstruction in addition to working with people struggling with anxiety, depression, life transitions and other forms of trauma. I feel very fortunate and honored to work in a field I enjoy and find so meaningful.
Any favorite pastimes or hobbies? My current hobby is negotiating for alone time on weekends to exercise and listen to podcasts. I hope to have more hobbies when I’m out of the baby and toddler stages of parenting.
Where is your favorite place to travel? Ask my parents about how the three of us hiked the entire Inca Trail in 2017 — it was the trip of a lifetime!
What brought you to Wilshire and when? I’ve been a Christmas and Easter “guest” for many years; the shutters opening on Easter gets me every time. I spent a year “visiting” Labyrinth in 2019, then joined in early 2020. The vote [on inclusion] in 2016 contributed greatly toward my comfort in finding Wilshire to be an affirming faith community.
Where are you engaged in Wilshire? I attend Labyrinth Class and am the liaison for our much-loved resident, Jenna Sullivan. I’m attending a women’s book study this fall and hope to start attending Wednesday evening activities when my kids are a little older.
Tell us about your faith journey. I grew up on Baptist Sunday School classes and Wednesday night potlucks. I was a part of more charismatic faith communities in early adulthood and then took a several-year hiatus from church to connect spiritually in other ways. I felt called back to church when I was more settled in my life and career (post grad school) and felt pulled to raise my kids in church. I’m still exploring what faith means to me and appreciate doing so within a supportive community.