Kelly McDaniel
Psychotherapist, specialized in relational trauma and healing attachment woundsKelly McDaniel is a licensed professional counselor, author, mother, and women’s advocate. In her first book, Ready to Heal (2008), she named invisible attachment injury as “Mother Hunger,” and described how disruptions in essential elements of maternal care can undermine secure attachment. The name resonated with many and changed the nature of her practice. To meet the need, McDaniel designed individual healing intensives for adult women and began training clinicians.
In 2021, she published her second book, Mother Hunger: How Adult Daughters Can Understand and Heal from Lost Nurturance, Protection, and Guidance. Her work has since spread globally. Mother Hunger has now been translated into over 15 languages, bringing understanding and healing to millions of women who carry a lifelong emotional burden that can adversely affect self-worth, eating patterns, and relational wellness.
A frequent speaker and podcast guest, Kelly shares practical, compassionate teaching for both professionals and the public. Among others, she has been featured on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk, Goop, Tell Me Something True, and The Tamsen Show. Through her trainings, she helps clinicians better understand how Mother Hunger shows up in adult daughters and equips them with clear, effective tools to support healing around unmet maternal needs.
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Kelly McDaniel is a licensed professional counselor, author, mother, and women’s advocate. In her first book, Ready to Heal (2008), she named invisible attachment injury as “Mother Hunger,” and described how disruptions in essential elements of maternal care can undermine secure attachment. The name resonated with many and changed the nature of her practice. To meet the need, McDaniel designed individual healing intensives for adult women and began training clinicians.
In 2021, she published her second book, Mother Hunger: How Adult Daughters Can Understand and Heal from Lost Nurturance, Protection, and Guidance. Her work has since spread globally. Mother Hunger has now been translated into over 15 languages, bringing understanding and healing to millions of women who carry a lifelong emotional burden that can adversely affect self-worth, eating patterns, and relational wellness.
A frequent speaker and podcast guest, Kelly shares practical, compassionate teaching for both professionals and the public. Among others, she has been featured on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk, Goop, Tell Me Something True, and The Tamsen Show. Through her trainings, she helps clinicians better understand how Mother Hunger shows up in adult daughters and equips them with clear, effective tools to support healing around unmet maternal needs.