About the author and why the empty chair

Beyond the Empty Chair is a raw and courageous memoir by Kelley O’Daniels, a licensed clinical social worker and trauma therapist, who intimately recounts her own harrowing journey through a toxic and abusive marriage. Behind the success of her thriving private practice, Kelley lived a secret life of emotional, verbal, and physical abuse—torn between being a beacon of hope for her clients by day and enduring fear and silence at home by night.

With unflinching honesty, Kelley reveals how the very mental health system she worked within failed her when she sought help. She explores why leaving wasn't as simple as it seemed and how shame, fear, and professional expectations kept her trapped far longer than anyone knew. Yet, through it all, she chose healing.

This book offers more than just personal narrative. Kelley pairs her lived experience with professional insight, helping readers recognize the manipulative tactics of abusers, understand the psychological and physical imprint of trauma, and identify patterns of narcissistic abuse. She shares strategies for supporting loved ones in abusive relationships and cautions how easy it is to fall into new toxic dynamics without intentional healing.

In the end, Beyond the Empty Chair is a testament to reclaiming one’s life. Through vulnerability, clinical wisdom, and fierce honesty, Kelley O’Daniels empowers others to choose themselves—even when it feels impossible.