Meet Amanda!

Positionality: I identify as an Afro-Latina cishet woman.

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My Background & Approach:

Navigating the world in this day and age is extremely difficult, seeking culturally competent therapeutic services should not be. Working together, I aim to provide a safe and comfortable environment to process all aspects of your presenting concerns with empathy and compassion. Using a relational, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approach, my goal is to sit with you to understand how I can assist you on your journey to health and wellness. Therapy is a space for growth, courage, trust, and understanding and you should be proud of yourself for taking this first step. 

 

As a therapist, I know a great therapeutic relationship cannot work without a mutual foundation of trust and I will do everything in my power to earn your trust. Once trust is established, I am to provide a supportive atmosphere for you to process how your lived experiences have impacted your life thus far. Together, we can create a strong foundation of psychoeducation, emotional tools, acceptance, and self compassion to help address your needs.

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Theoretical & Clinical Orientation:

I specialize in issues related to trauma, intimate partner violence, culture, identity/ exploration, and gender affirming care. By using a social work lens, I not only look at the individual’s access to resources, but how a lack of resources can impact a person’s mental and emotional wellbeing. My therapeutic approach encompasses a wide variety of approaches including, but not limited to, the following:

 

• Cultural Competence:  Differences in cultures, backgrounds, gender expression, and sexual orientation make the world a better place to live in. As an Afro-latina, my cultures are the cornerstone of my identity. My therapeutic approach is based on understanding your culture/cultural influences and their impact on your mental health while still practicing cultural humility with identities outside of my own. 

 

• ​Systems approach: Oppressive legislation has impacted the mental and emotional well being of minorities in this country for centuries. By understanding how these systems continue to disenfranchise marginalized populations, we can work together to find access to resources, process the pain of oppression, and find ways to create meaningful change physically and emotionally. 
   

• Psychoeducation: Understanding how your presenting concerns manifest physiologically is the first step in addressing any issue. Knowing how trauma, anxiety, depression, etc.. can impact a person neurocognitively and somatically helps separate the individual from their presenting problem. Once we can begin to identify what is occurring somatically and emotionally, we can work to implement proper skills interventions to address these concerns.
   

• Self-Compassion/Strength-Based: It takes courage and bravery to seek mental health services. I will work with you to help you realize that you are so much more than your struggles with mental health. Highlighting your positive attributes can help provide an alternative, kinder lens to view yourself when feeling low. Speaking compassionately to/about yourself in spite of your mental health concerns provides you the ability to stand strong against intrusive, self-deprecating thoughts.