I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and although I have been in caregiving roles for over 20 years, I have been working in a professional capacity as a counselor for the past 5 years and in the equine-assisted therapy field for the past 10 years. My education background is in marriage and family therapy, and I am currently working on a PhD in Developmental Psychology. I have extensive experience in the areas of depression, anxiety, grief, foster and adoption, trauma, care-giver hardships, domestic violence, Christian counseling, and working with the at-risk youth population through equine-assisted counseling. I have experience in individual, marriage, family and group counseling.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
Starting with a new counselor can be an overwhelming experience! I try hard to make sure you feel seen and heard from the very first time we meet, as well as try hard to make sure you are informed of important information so there are no surprises down the road. I will typically ask what it is that brought you to counseling, and then do my best to be a compassionate listener. I may ask you a few questions so I make sure I understand correctly, but for the most part my goal is to help begin to build a space where you feel safe to explore whatever it is that brought you to counseling.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I believe my greatest strength as a counselor is the ability to display compassion and empathy. I feel like those are two of the most important skills for a counselor to possess in helping others. I also have an ability to help clients bring meaning and understanding to often confusing or distressing emotions and situations. I consider it a privilege to enter into someone's story and walk alongside of them to provide support, encouragement and direction in their unique and personal journey.
About Amy M. Carroll
Specializes in
Serves ages
Licensed in
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Attachment-based
Attachment-based means exploring how we show up in relationships based on our experiences with relationships in our formative years. I enjoy helping clients explore their relationship patterns and styles, as well as helping them understand how these patterns impact how we react to and relate to the difficulties of life and relationships.
Christian Counseling
Offering Christian counseling means understanding that the Bible holds truths for the hardships of life, and that prayer is a powerful tool in the counseling process. It is a profound privilege to encourage clients to find their hope and rest in Jesus.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT therapy is a way to help clients see the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sometimes through the difficult circumstances of life, we develop automatic negative thoughts that create negative emotions, which can lead to negative or unwanted behaviors. I enjoy helping clients recognize these patterns in their thoughts and learn to replace them with more healthy patterns of thinking in order to reduce or alleviate distress, as well as learn healthy coping skills for whatever they are faced with.
Experiential Therapy
For those who can do in-person sessions and are interested in a somatic and experiential type of therapy, I offer equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP). EAP is an alternative to traditional, sit down talk therapy; however, the goals are the same as talk therapy. During sessions clients often see the equine(s) as metaphors to something related to their goals. Some activities are designed and incorporated to help the client reach their therapeutic goals, but these activities never involve mounted work and there is no horse knowledge or experience required. *Please note that EAP is available for cash payment only, please refer to the website link for more information https://hopetreefs.org/support/equine-assisted-psychotherapy/
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma informed care means understanding the far-reaching, complex impacts of trauma in someone's life and the ways it can manifest in the body, the mind and the spirit. It is also understanding there are many types of trauma and how the unique types can bring unique negative consequences in the life of an individual. I am passionate about helping clients build a life where they experience a sense of safety physically, emotionally and spiritually.