LCSW, 8 years of experience
New to Grow
Hi! :) My name is Amanda Martell and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I have been working in social work for the past decade in a myraid of settings, but mainly with women, families and children. I have worked in a homeless shelter, school settings, in non profits, and in various clinical settings. I believe my wide range of experiences has given me a holistic understanding and approach to the needs of my clients. A little about me - I am a Puerto Rican, cis-gendered woman hailing from Brooklyn, NY. I am a single mother of one child. I am a highly spiritual person who incorporates religion/spirituality if that is something a client finds important in their healing and support. I am part of the LGBTQ+ community. I love to read and write so I will always have a book recommendation and journal prompts for my clients.
The first few sessions will inevitably feel 'intakey' in that we will be getting to know each other, formulating goals, and assessing symptoms. That being said, time is spent where the client needs so if we do not finish formulating a treatment plan in the first one or two sessions, that is okay!
I have a very welcoming and warm approach with my clients. I show up very much as myself in sessions and find that clients that move forward with me are looking for someone that they can relate to in various identities, which helps them feel more understood and safe. I also will provide a listening ear but at the same time will challenge and ask questions to help clients gain more insight/understanding of themselves.
Currently my practice is focused on supporting adult women's mental health - whether that be in anxiety, depression, PTSD/trauma, or general stress mental health. I have worked with a lot of mothers, women managing self-esteem/confidence issues, women seeking guidance and understanding of how they show up in relationships/in conflict, etc. all in different phases of life. I have clients that identify as women and clients that are gender non conforming. Clients who are seeking trauma focused and trauma informed care, who want to understand their patterns of behavior and heal inner wounds, would benefit from my psychodynamic focused care.
I use psychodynamic modality as a whole but utilize others as well for exercises, homework, etc. (such as CBT work, mindfulness approaches, solution focused practices). The psychodynamic approach helps to build a trauma informed framework, really focusing on understanding how previous experiences (like childhood trauma) impacts clients in the parent moment, in their relationships, and patterns of behavior.