Child, Teen, Family and Adult Therapist
“Be gentle. You are meeting parts of yourself you’ve been at war with.” ~ Anonymous
There are many reasons why you are struggling to feel like yourself. I enjoy working with people from all walks of life, including adults, children and their families.
One of my niches is working with children, teens, and their families (and adore working with angsty teens). Kids and I have a lot of fun working together, while also working hard on life skills. I love working with kiddos, and the "silly sauce" they bring to the relationship. When kids and families are having a hard time, there are often underlying parts in everybody that are struggling to be flexible and adapt to the ways each member of the family, and the family as a whole, are changing. I will work with you to identify the symptoms and parts of yourself that may be operating as barriers, be gentle with them—and teach you to be gentle with them—and then challenge you to grow. I will also assess the strengths in you and your relationships and use that a foundation to build upon. There will also be a lot of skills training to address the weak points in child, parent, and family functioning, specifically parental responses to child emotions, behaviors, struggles, and symptoms. We’ll work together every step of the way and get you feeling better.
I also love working with adults and helping them with the symptoms they are experiencing. I enjoy my adult patients for different reasons than my kids and teens. I spend time getting to know my patients, carefully assess their strengths and the pain they are in, and then work hard to develop a plan to best help them feel better as quickly as possible. I want to help my clients learn skills that really matter and have measurable effects on their daily life. My areas of expertise with adults include anxiety disorders, depression, trauma including reproductive trauma and infertility, transitions, and figuring out the adult self in relation to the family you came from.
I have a wealth of experience working with complicated co-parenting situations (e.g. division, abandonment, divorce, guardianship, foster) and the complexities of families formed in diverse ways. I am passionate about helping families sift through and navigate the intricacies of their family system. I love working with adoptees and pride myself in my knowledge of adoptee-specific needs throughout the lifespan.
Give me a call. Let’s get everyone feeling better.
***At AMANI Clinical Services, all child and family therapists are trained extensively on Dr. Hastings’ Harmonizing Your Home Program and use it as the foundation for treatment. Harmonizing Your Home Program©2012 is a combination of several of the most effective transdiagnostic child/family treatments available into a unique program. It has been consistently successful at reducing damaging child behavior and symptomatology (anxiety symptoms, physical aggression, verbal aggression, compulsions, defiant and oppositional behavior, school refusal, tantrums, etc.) by 90 percent at the 2 week post-launch mark. The increase in safety creates a foundation to build healthier, more fulfilling family bonds. Positive family interactions effectively reduce symptoms. Progress made is resistant to relapse. Response to treatment is individualized and not guaranteed. Families with the best outcomes had motivated parents. We work with families every day who are experiencing real, lasting change and increasing peace-making and peace-keeping in their families. ***
I love animals, especially the fur babies that have taken over my home. Friends and laughing are things that I require in my life daily. Daily affirmations also help me remember what’s important in life. Traveling is a way to hit the reset button on life and even better if a beach is included. I love working with girls and women and it is moving and powerful to watch women and girls realize their true inner strength. Chlorine runs through my veins as I continue to play water polo, which has led to also competing in triathlons.
She/her/hers
A little bitty left this note in the feedback box in the waiting room!
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"Monday's are never easy to wake up for our kids, heck I can't do it either. [Child patient] and I chatted for about 15 minutes in her room and one thing she said made me happy. She said, [']Dad I am also sad I won't see Ms. Amanda this week, I love talking to her she makes me feel good. That made my Monday morning![']
"This past year has been anything but normal. To have someone to talk to has been amazing for both myself and (child). I am so grateful for the time and attention to helping me understand (child’s) needs and for helping (child) attune to her own emotions. We have both made great strides."
"Thank you so much for the journey you have been on with us as a family. I know it's been rocky working with [outside system] and other factors. We appreciate the consistent support and see the growth that has happened in each of the kiddos' lives. They credit Amanda with being there for them in a time of confusion and uncertainty and being a steady source of guidance and safety."
"Thank you so-so much for everything!"
"Amanda is wonderful."
"Thanks so much Amanda, you have been amazing."