Mission
Are you looking to live your life more authentically? Are there things getting in the way of your happiness that you aren't quite able to make sense of or get past? Do you have trauma that impacts your relationships and day-to-day life? I know what that can be like, feeling like you're drowning with no clear way forward. I am here to help you gain clarity and find the path forward with practical tools to reduce stress, improve insight, increase your ability to cope, and take your life back.
The Full Story
About Amy
I am a cishet Caucasian/Latina woman who has been working in the field for 8 years now. I am spiritual but not religious, love animals, and enjoy many crafting and creative hobbies as well as physical activities like yoga, pilates, and horseback riding. I am a member of the LGBTQIA+ and poly community.
I earned my dual B.A. in Psychology and Cognitive Science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and I have an M.A. in General Psychology from The New School, as well as an M.S. in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from Thomas University. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and specialize in the treatment of trauma.
I have learned much in my experience over the years working with children, teens, and families as well as adults. I have spent time working with family systems doing intensive In-Home Therapy, assessing risk and providing crisis counseling, working with domestic violence survivors, and providing individual therapy for those with trauma, depression, anxiety, and a myriad of other concerns.
I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma, I am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level I & II, & I am trained in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Additionally, my approach is based in attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, and developmental psychology.
What is Trauma?
Trauma and trauma symptoms are the living memory of past experiences of danger, aloneness, neglect, and harm which manifests in present day psychological and physiological experiences of overwhelm, dysregulation, and difficulty functioning. A common misconception about trauma is that it must be a big life threatening event or events, and while those are indeed traumatic, it is also true that trauma can be caused by more subtle, insidious experiences of abandonment, aloneness, and rejection of a person's self over time. I often refer to this type of trauma as "death by a million tiny cuts." This can be caused by consistent experiences of rejection by parents, invalidation of a child's personality and self, caregivers' inability to tolerate the emotional expression and needs of a child, physical or emotional neglect, and various other social and environmental difficulties like parent's mental health issues, poverty, and political instability.
Post trauma symptoms are felt in the mind and body as a result of the nervous systems sensitization to danger and threat, and can show up as hypervigilance, anxiety, panic, rage, depression, dissociaton, and emotional numbing. Behaviorally, this may also look like people-pleasing, avoidance of emotional intimacy, high self criticism and low self-worth, and self-destructive behaviors.
