You've spent so much of your life overperforming in relationships, trying to earn love, security, and worth. You’ve probably tried being “better,” doing more, maybe even suppressing your own needs just to keep the peace. You're left exhausted, anxious, maybe resentful, and unsure if love can exist without effort. You wonder if belonging really needs to be earned or if thats just trauma talking. Trying therapy probably feels both hopeful and scary. What if you slow down or start saying "no" and everything falls apart? You don't just want relief, you want freedom. You want to exist as you are and still feel worthy, loved, and enough.

What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?

Your first session and every session is spent on your needs and making sure you feel like you got something out of each time we meet. Whether you need to better understand yourself, strategize, laugh, cry, or drop an f-bomb, our sessions are centered on what supports you most. It's typical for my clients to start to feel better (often relieved even) in the first few sessions, motivating them to keep going.

Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.

What makes me unique is how deeply I listen—not just to your words, but to what’s underneath them. I notice the patterns, the unspoken fears, and the ways you’ve adapted to survive. I help you see yourself with more clarity and compassion. My approach is insight-driven and practical; I won’t just nod and ask, “How does that make you feel?” I’ll help you understand why things feel that way and what to do next. As a person impacted by grief, trauma, and complex family and personal relationships myself, I deeply understand what it's like to ask "what is wrong with me?", "why am I like this?", "why can't I just shut the anxiety off?", "why isn't there anyone in my life who shows up for me how I show up for them?" The answers come from developing a compassionate self-understanding, connecting our pasts to our present in ways that highlight how important we are in our own life experiences, and to start asking "what has happened to me?" not "what is wrong with me?" I want every client to find the lighter side to each of their struggles. The most anxious people tend to have complex understandings of right and wrong. The most self-sacrificial people tend to hold deep comittments to justice. The most rejection sensitive people understand how fundamentally important human connection is for survival and growth. These folks are carrying powerful skills that hurt them because they haven't had the support and validation they need to follow their intuition rather than being taken advantage of by those around them. You don't have to feel overwhelming dread every time you say "no" or refrain from fixing someone else's problems. In fact, wouldn't it be nice if it made you feel good and not as though you needed to question every good thing about yourself? You can and it's completely possible.

Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.

I absolutely love working with people-pleasers, perfectionists, relationship over-performers, anxiously conscientious and empathetic folks, codependents, narcissistic abuse survivors, and people healing from toxic family systems in childhood. I love working with fellow queer people and polyamorous people, and fellow adopted people, donor conceived people, and foster care alumni, women and AFAB people, and men interested in getting in touch with their emotions. I am certified in thanatology (grief and loss) and complex trauma. I hold advanced specialty training in narcissistic abuse recovery, post-adoption support, anxiety, and codependency.

About Amanda Woolston