Amanda started her career working with a specialty drug court in Dallas County, focusing on providing intensive and supportive outpatient therapy in the group and individual settings for court mandated clients. While here, Amanda gained valuable experience working with substance use disorders as well as co-ocurring disorders including depression, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder. Amanda worked as a part of a multidisciplinary team to collaborate for her clients’ care, and she learned about meeting her clients where they were at in terms of readiness for change.
Following this experience, Amanda followed her passion and what originally drew her to the field of therapy and began working for an eating disorder treatment center. At the treatment center, Amanda worked with children, adolescents, and adults across all levels of care ranging from an intensive outpatient program to inpatient and residential treatment. Through this treatment center, Amanda gained access to extensive experience and training in working with eating disorders as well as the intersection of trauma, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders. Amanda facilitated groups, provided meal support, and frequently provided crisis interventions, working with anxiety, panic attacks, self-harm, and suicidality in the moment.
While working at the eating disorder treatment center, Amanda also began seeing clients in the individual outpatient setting as a part of a large group practice working out of the practice’s Dallas location. Eventually, Amanda transitioned to full-time in this group practice. At this point in her career, Amanda continued to cultivate her specialties in trauma, anxiety, and eating disorders. In focusing on these specialties, Amanda actively pursued continuing education and training in these areas, including focusing on trauma treatment with somatic-based interventions, treating complex trauma with Internal Family Systems (IFS), and especially on Polyvagal Theory. Amanda also received training in implementing Brainspotting (BSP) into her practice.
Most recently, Amanda became the co-founder of a private practice where she currently works full-time. As a part of this practice, Amanda became trained and certified in the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) which is a music-based therapy that is a practical application of the Polyvagal Theory. Amanda has continued to cultivate her understanding of somatic-based interventions, IFS, and Polyvagal Theory, and she actively collaborates with other professionals to provide the highest quality care to her clients.
In addition to providing therapy session to her clients, Amanda greatly values serving as a Supervisor to Associate level clinicians in the state of Texas. Amanda is also a Founding Member of the Grant Halliburton Foundation Young Professionals Group that focuses on making a positive impact on the Dallas-Fort-Worth community. Amanda is passionate about helping others better understand their own body-mind connection and hopes to help her clients achieve healthier relationships with self, with others, and with the world around them.
Education
M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Texas Woman’s University
