Hello, I'm Amy. 

What I know for sure is you don’t need to go through life as a numb and disconnected stranger to yourSelf or your experiences. Courageously and curiously leaning in to our parts, welcoming them all, allows Self to emerge. This opens the door to our full experience, allowing us to be aware, awake and alive, living from a place of Love for ourSelves and others.

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"IFS can be seen as attachment theory taken inside". -Richard Schwartz

I know this to be true because parts of me are addicts. These parts are addicted to perfectionism and control. Their addiction started as far back as I can remember, probably around 3 or 4 years old. They were addicted to not just being good enough but needing to be perfect. They thought if they worked hard enough to accomplish this goal, then I would be worthy of love and a good life. These parts, even with their positive intention, didn’t help me feel better. In fact, the wounded parts that they were protecting still felt small, scared and depressed. In spite of the wounds of worthlessness, smallness and fear, my system overcompensated and engaged in life and performed beautifully all as means of trying to redeem themselves from the pain of the past.  Parts of me learned to love through acts of service and self-sacrifice and the safest way for them to connect. It was incongruent and inauthentic with my values and true Self. It was also exhausting.

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These behaviors became so normal, I thought they were who I was. I assumed my perfectionism was serving me and nothing was wrong with it. In fact, parts could very comfortably justify it and make sense of it. I assumed running to stand still, feeling depressed and having very few moments of joy and true presence was normal. But then the deeper, wiser part of me knew it wasn’t. It was as if the universe and this deeper Self wisdom kept tapping me on the shoulder with some lesson to learn as to how my parts need for control over everything, including my emotions was holding me back and downright unhealthy.

My crisis or awakening, happened when the best thing of my life occurred, the birth of my beautiful daughter, Lucia. My system was so cocky at seeming perfect, not asking for help and managing things, it assumed they’d be able to gracefully manage all the spinning very full, heavy plates and they even narcissistically thought I would be the exception to the stressed out parent statistic. I would be a calm, loving, carefree, emotionally aware parent. That was bullshit. I wasn’t. In fact, I couldn’t have been farther from that. That was when the compassionate ass kicking from my system happened and my total unraveling, scratch that, awakening occurred.

What I realized was that I falsely had been priding myself on being so emotionally intelligent, vulnerable and compassionate because of what I chose to do for a living. I could be that for my clients but couldn’t for myself. I was a hypocrite. It became unfortunately crystal clear that I had been living a lie. Feeling it all scared parts of me so badly, that I had gotten very good at avoiding them. The harsh fact was I was running away from them, all of them, because they made parts of me feel too helpless and vulnerable and out of control. The parts of me keeping things so perfectly buttoned up and in control, caused me not to live or love how I wanted and craved. I truthfully wasn’t living, feeling or loving at all. I was living in grey tones and I wanted to be living in color, fantastical bright vivid color. I yearned to be aware, awake and alive.

I had to make a decision, continue to live how I had been or try something drastically different, horrifying and uncomfortable. My Self helped me choose the later. At this point, I had been well trained in almost all the best therapy models, as naturally any good perfectionist would be, but it wasn’t until I learned about IFS and began practicing it myself, in my own life, that things began to change. Change significantly. Through curious exploration of my internal landscape, I began to connect with the parts of myself that weren’t serving me in the way they once did. I noticed space in my system and relief for the first time. I compassionately showed up for the wounded parts and helped them unburden their pain. I was showing up as the leader my system craved. My parts began to trust me so they didn’t have to work so hard anymore. It has been life changing. Don’t get me wrong, there are days that I am knee deep in the swampland with all my parts wading through and I think there has been no progress. Then I remember that the success is in embracing all of the parts of myself and how they respond to all of life…the joy and the pain. I still have all my parts and I love them all. They have kept me alive and helped me get where I am in my life. They still show up when they feel threatened and for that I am ever grateful. Now, I get to lean into them and ask them what they need and what is causing them to show up, because there is a reason. I hear them and give them the attention they deserve. The biggest difference now is that they aren’t the ones driving my life all the time anymore, Self is.

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My why for doing this work is simple. I love it, it’s my passion. I love watching people begin to connect with Self and as a result, truly feel all the feels, safely, for the first time. I love watching the blossoming relationship they have with all their internal system and newly colored life. I am good at it. It’s my gift. I’m in the business of holding hope while holding the hands of those brave enough to explore all of their parts as they become aware, awake and alive. I promise I will show up authentically and never ask you to do something I don’t wholeheartedly believe in or practice daily myself, which means I can attest that it works. The prerequisites for the journey are courage and curiosity, which you all possess, so you already inherently have exactly what you need! I promise, it is so so worth it. All of you is welcome!

Dive Deeper - The Official Bio

I have devoted years to my own growth as well as to my education and profession. Over the last 23 years, severe and complex trauma has become my specialty and focus. This has paved the way for my understanding of the need to feel fully and be comfortable in embracing all feelings and parts. I believe in post-traumatic growth and hope. The experiences I utilize to join you on your path are:

  • 23 years as a therapist, educator, trauma recovery coach, writer, trainer and speaker

  • PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Transformative Psychology

  • MA in Counseling Psychology

  • PhD in Traditional Naturopathy

  • Certified IFS Therapist

  • IFS Level 3 Trained

  • IFS Program Assistant

  • Daring Way Trained

  • CPT Certified

  • Prolonged Exposure Certified

  • EMDR Trained 

  • MBSR Certified

  • Psychodrama Trained

  • Dream Tending and Nightmare Rescripting Certified

  • DBT Trained

  • 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher

  • Mediated over 6,000 trauma accounts

  • Published author

  • Adjunct Professor for Master’s level counseling programs

  • Clinical Supervisor of unlicensed therapists/interns

  • Past Clinical Director of a 122 bed inpatient psychiatric hospital

  • Founder of Strong Hope Military Program

  • Past Assistant Director of Hospice Program

  • Clinical Director of a trauma recovery program

  • Founder of PTSR - intensive trauma retreats