Kelly Torbet, M.S.

A professional headshot photo of Kelly.

Position Title
Undergraduate Advisor and Peer Advisor Supervisor

  • Last Names: O - Sn
Blue Ridge Office Building Room 177
Office Hours

MTR: Remote
WF: In-person
Bio

About Me

My work as an Academic Advisor is influenced by my tumultuous post-graduate journey after receiving my B.A. in Psychology and Communications from UC Davis in 2017. I spent 4 years struggling to find my "forever career". Feeling like the choices I made had to be perfect, I put pressure on myself and let the expectations of others guide my future. I gave myself a hard time each time I switched directions when I realized I wasn't happy with the job I was working. It also didn't help that I was struggling with my mental health and faced many setbacks which further made me think I was behind my friends and peers. I thought I had it figured out when I landed on nursing just to discover the medical field wasn't for me after spending 5 minutes with my first cadaver in my anatomy and physiology course at Woodland Community College. Many more instances like this continued to happen.

By pure luck, I happened to stumble upon a graduate counseling program that specialized in career counseling. Realizing I could marry my desire to help others and my personal experiences in my career journey, I decided to pursue counseling so I could support students in higher education in navigating, embracing, and normalizing the non-linear, ever-changing journey toward a fulfilling career.

I completed my M.S. in Counseling from CSU Sacramento in 2024 and began this position shortly after. In addition to advising, I serve as the Peer Supervisor for our team of Peer Advisors who run our drop-in advising services. 

Advising Philosophy

My work as an advisor is informed by my 8 years of experience in behavioral health and higher education. My approach is rooted in a social justice, person-centered, cognitive, and existential framework. I believe your culture, lived experiences, strengths, and barriers profoundly influence who you are, how you think, and how you interpret your experiences. Therefore, my first objective in advising is to get to know who you are through your own words. I aim to stay curious, open, and welcoming to your story. Only then can we work together to address your goals. I also believe we are all motivated by a desire to live fulfilled and meaningful lives. I will encourage you to identify your values, examine your decision-making process, and how to find meaning in your experiences.

Specialties

Career Counseling, Counseling/Therapy Careers, Graduate School Exploration

Education and Degree(s)
  • Master of Science in Counseling, Career Concentration, California State University, Sacramento
  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Arts in Communications, University of California, Davis