A little bit about me, my name is Amanda Chilleme, I am a Florida and North Carolina Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Master’s Certified Addiction professional. I first hung my shingle in 2013, working with a dual diagnosis population of young adults. For the last 7 years I have been helping my clients identify intrinsically important goals, overcoming obstacles, and build the foundation for a better future. My specialty has been working with men and women struggling with both substance abuse and process or behavioral addictions; helping them to find the pathway to a life unencumbered by the shackles of their past. I also have years of experience treating clients with anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, bereavement, trauma, attachment, and personality disorders. As a clinician, I utilize a human or client focused approach to counseling. I am not here to tell you the reason you called, or what you need to work on; you made the call, you already know the “what”. As a clinician, it is my job to help you understand the “why”, and eventually, the “how” (to fix it, overcome it, or just plain throw it away). At your first session, it is essentially a two-way interview; as I listen to your story/narrative, and the “rough draft” (as I lovingly call it) begins to unfold, WE as a team determine if 1) I am the right therapist for you, and 2) If you are the right client for me. If we both agree to move forward from the first session, identifying your goals will be your first assignment; giving you the opportunity to do this, helps me to better see how you think and interpret your barriers (i.e., stress, anxiety, depression, relationships, etc.). The second session, we begin to rank these goals, and identify the objectives that will help us to achieve these milestones together. I am your coach, teammate, and cheer leader! We will focus on one goal at a time. Remember “slow and steady wins the race”! As we reach the culmination of one goal, we will move on to the next. Whether you are just starting this process, or you have been in it for a while, I encourage you to plant that mustard seed, and watch just how beautifully you can grow. Schedule an appointment and begin to achieve the best thing of all, the very best version of you!
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, we will engage in a narrative approach. This allows me to learn your story, how you think, and what the areas of struggle are. From there we can collaboratively determine next steps for your journey of recovery.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My biggest strength is being client focused. I meet my clients where they are at in the process of healing, whether that be from anxiety, depression, past trauma, or insecure attachment. We build a narrative together and explore how this narrative has both aided and detracted from life. Set goals together in order to reach a higher state of functioning.