Amanda Rebel
Hi, I'm Amanda, and I help people exhausted from fighting their mind finally find peace with it. By the time most people find me, they're worn down—not just by overwhelm and defeat, but by the effort of white-knuckling it. Capable on the outside. Exhausted on the inside. Wondering if this is just who they are.
I work primarily with high-functioning adults who are managing anxiety, depression, or other mood-related challenges, but still feeling intense suffering.
That’s not the whole story I'm a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in individual work with adults, parents, and caregivers. Over the past 15 years, I've had the privilege of walking alongside hundreds of people as they moved from survival mode to a life that actually feels like their own. I hold a Master's degree from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and I bring both the clinical depth of that training and the wisdom of real-world practice to every session. My approach is collaborative and personalized — because you're not a diagnosis or a checklist, and therapy shouldn't feel like one. I'm a creative thinker by nature, and I use that to bring fresh perspectives to our work together, while also providing the structure and direction that meaningful progress requires. In our early sessions, we'll take time to understand what's really going on and build a clear, intentional plan that fits your life. Most of my clients notice a real, positive shift within the first month. A steady, meaningful life isn't something other people get to have. It belongs to you, too. If you're ready to stop managing and start actually living, I'd love to connect.
First session
What to Expect & How to Prepare- Taking the step to begin therapy is an act of real courage, and I want you to know that you've already done something meaningful simply by being here. My goal for our first session together is not to overwhelm you or push you toward anything you're not ready for — it is simply to begin. To sit together, to listen, and to start building the kind of trust that makes meaningful change possible. We Go at Your Pace- From the very first moment we meet, I want you to feel comfortable. There is no script you need to follow, no particular way you are supposed to feel, and no pressure to share more than you're ready to. Our first session will move at whatever pace feels right for you, and I will guide it by asking questions and offering initial ideas on how I can best support you. Some people arrive with a clear sense of what they want to work on. Others arrive feeling uncertain, overwhelmed, or unsure how to put their experience into words — and that is completely okay. Wherever you start, we will begin there together. What We'll Talk About- Our first conversation will explore what has brought you to therapy at this particular moment in your life. I'll ask some open-ended questions to better understand what you've been experiencing, what has been weighing on you, and what you are hoping to feel or achieve through our work together. This is not an interrogation — think of it more as a conversation between two people getting to know each other. You are always free to say "I'm not sure," "I'm not ready to talk about that yet," or simply "I don't know where to start." All of those responses are welcomed and respected. I may also ask a little about your background and history — not to reduce you to a diagnosis or a checklist, but because understanding the fuller picture of who you are helps me support you in a way that is truly tailored to your needs. Building a Plan That's Right for You One of my most important goals for our first session is to begin forming a picture of what you need — not what a textbook says someone in your situation needs, but what you specifically need. Every person who walks through my door is unique, and I take that seriously. What you share with me in this first session will help me begin crafting a thoughtful, personalized plan for the sessions that follow. This plan is not rigid — it will evolve as you do, shifting and adjusting to meet you wherever you are at any given time. Therapy is a living process, not a fixed program. The Importance of Feeling Comfortable-- The relationship between a therapist and a client is unlike any other. It requires a particular kind of trust, openness, and safety to truly flourish. That is why I believe wholeheartedly that feeling comfortable with your therapist is not a luxury — it is essential to the work we do together. Towards the end of our first session, I will check in with you — not just to schedule next steps, but genuinely to hear how the experience felt for you. Did you feel heard? Did you feel safe? Do you sense that this could be a space where you might grow? If the answer is yes, I would love for us to continue working together. And if you have any doubts or hesitations — please tell me. I will never take it personally, because I care far more about your well-being and your progress than I do about anything else. Finding the right therapist is one of the most important things you can do for yourself, and you deserve to get it right. A Final Word Before We Begin-- It is entirely normal to feel nervous before a first therapy session. You might wonder whether you will say the right things, whether I will judge you, or whether this will actually help. These are all natural feelings, and you are far from alone in having them. What I can promise you is this: from the moment you walk in, you will be met with warmth, without judgment, and with genuine care. My role is not to tell you what to do or to fix you — you are not broken. My role is to walk alongside you as you find your way toward the life and the sense of self that you deserve. I am truly glad you are here. Let's begin.
Strengths
My biggest strength as a therapist is bringing two kinds of intelligence into the room. A lot of people come to therapy having experienced one or the other — sessions that felt like pure analysis with little emotional resonance, or sessions that were heavy on feeling but left them without any real tools or framework. I try to offer something more whole than that. Some of what we do together will be "neck up" work — using the mind to understand what's really going on beneath the surface. We'll look at long-held patterns, trace where certain beliefs and responses came from, and work to understand the story your nervous system has been telling you — often for decades. That kind of insight is genuinely valuable. Understanding yourself more clearly is never wasted. But for most people, insight alone isn't enough to create change. That's where "neck down" work comes in. I draw on mind-body techniques and arts-based therapies that access parts of your experience that words and analysis don't always reach. Mood and anxiety disorders aren't just cognitive — they live in the body, in the breath, in the way your chest tightens before you even know you're stressed. Addressing that layer of experience is just as important as the thinking work, and often more immediately relieving. When both approaches work together, something real shifts. It's not just about understanding yourself better — it's about actually feeling different from the inside out.
Ideal clients
I help people who struggle with bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety stop feeling at the mercy of their mood and mind shifts. If that sounds like you, I want you to know something before we even meet: I get it. Not in a surface-level, clinical way — but genuinely, deeply get it. And I know there are ways through. You've probably been managing this for a while. You know the cycle. You do everything you're supposed to do — you try, you push through, you hold it together — and still the swings come. The waves of anxiety and depression arrive in ways that feel sudden and confusing, even when part of you knows they've been building. Despite your best efforts, the moods still shift in ways that feel beyond your control, and that gap between how hard you're trying and how things still fall apart can be one of the most exhausting things in the world. When my clients first come to see me, they're often depleted. Some are defeated. They've been riding the rollercoaster of trying to manage a complex illness for so long that the ride itself has become its own kind of trauma. Medication helps — it really does — but it doesn't solve everything, and you know that better than anyone. There are still the hard days. Still the episodes. Still the aftermath. Many of my clients carry a quiet grief that doesn't get talked about enough: the loss of who they were before the diagnosis, or before they fully understood what they were dealing with. There's a mourning that happens when you realize your brain works differently than you thought, and that some of the things you hoped for yourself may need to look different now. Learning to accept that — to find a new normal that still feels like a good life — is real, important work, and it takes time. There's often shame too. The feeling that this illness is something to hide, something that makes you fundamentally broken or untrustworthy. Even in moments of genuine success — the accolades, the love, the accomplishments — there's a voice underneath that says it could all fall apart. That you could sabotage it. That you might not deserve it. That one bad episode could undo everything. On the outside, most of my clients look like they have it together. They're juggling work, family, relationships, and responsibilities. They're capable and often impressive in the ways they show up for the world. But on the inside, it's a different story — one that only a few trusted people ever get to see, and even those people don't always know how to help. Sometimes the nature of the illness strains relationships or leaves burned bridges behind, and carrying the weight of that takes its own toll. And when things do unravel — after a mood episode fades, or after a moment of acting out of character — no one on earth is harder on you than you are on yourself. The self-criticism can be relentless. The shame spiral, exhausting. You want to feel more level, more often. You want to handle stress without it derailing you. You want to stop feeling like a burden to the people you love, and stop fearing that who you are when you're struggling is somehow who you really are. You want to find a way to accept your illness without letting it define you — to build a life that feels stable and full and genuinely yours. That is exactly what I'm here to help with. My clients aren't fragile. They're some of the most resilient, self-aware, deeply feeling people I've ever met. What they need isn't to be fixed — they aren't broken. What they need is the right support, the right tools, and a space where they don't have to mask or manage or perform. A space where the full truth of their experience is welcome. You deserve to go through your days with the ability to recognize what's happening inside you before it escalates. You deserve to know what to do and when — to have a toolkit that actually matches the state you're in, not a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn't account for how complex this really is. You deserve to feel proud of who you are, not just on the good days, but on the hard ones too. A stable, meaningful, fulfilling life is not out of reach for you. I've seen it happen, and I believe it's possible for you. If you're ready to stop just surviving the cycles and start building something steadier, I'd love to work with you.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
For 15 years, I have integrated cognitive-behavioral techniques; knowing how the mind impacts behaviors is often vital to personal growth and change.
Mind-body approach
I have taught yoga and other mind-body approaches since 2000. All of our emotions and histories live in our bodies. Knowing how to release and change how our bodies respond to stress is a hallmark of long-lasting healing and change.
Eclectic
I also specialize in creative arts and expressive arts therapies. Oftentimes, using creativity can get to the deeper roots of issues, challenges, and long-held patterns.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Serves
Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 95115