Hi, I'm Amanda
I'm a Denver-based therapist who works directly with adults managing bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety — with a particular focus on parents of teens and young adults navigating mood disorders. I see clients in-person in Wheat Ridge, CO, and online throughout Colorado and California. I've been doing this work for over 15 years, and I bring both clinical expertise and personal insight to the sessions.
My background and credentials
I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, licensed in both Colorado (#0001673) and California (#95115). Over my career, I've worked across a wide range of settings — elementary and middle schools, bereavement centers, assisted living facilities, community mental health, corporate environments, government sectors, and private practice. I've provided mental health first aid in the aftermath of catastrophic weather events, and I currently provide clinical supervision to pre-licensed therapists.
A few things that make my background a little different:
I hold a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Expressive Arts Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) — a training that goes far beyond traditional talk therapy and can also be woven into it. I am also currently deepening my clinical training in two evidence-based approaches: Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT), a treatment specifically designed for mood disorders that helps stabilize daily rhythms and relationships, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which builds practical skills for managing intense emotions, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
I am a certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist through the Integrative Psychiatry Institute — trained to offer Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), including preparation and integration of any psychedelic experience. The science behind this work is compelling: psychedelics like ketamine can create a window of neuroplasticity — a period where the brain becomes more flexible and open to change — that, when paired with skilled psychotherapy, can lead to breakthroughs that years of traditional talk therapy alone may not achieve. For people who have tried everything and still feel stuck, this combination of medicine and therapy can open doors that may have felt permanently closed.
I am a certified yoga teacher, trained by Ana Forrest, and have been teaching groups and individuals since 2001. My relationship with body-based and contemplative practice runs deep — I spent time living in Southeast Asia, where I helped open a yoga studio and later entered a Buddhist monastery in Burma to formally study meditation and Buddhist philosophy. This isn't incidental to my clinical work. That immersive training is foundational to my understanding of the relationship among body, breath, mind, and emotional healing.
I am a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance and passionate about the emerging field of climate-aware therapy. I've spoken about eco-anxiety and climate grief on TEDx and have been featured in the Denver Post, 9News, and Colorado Newsline.
This blend of clinical training and hands-on experience — combining evidence-based methods with body-based, contemplative, and creative approaches — isn't something you'll find in every therapist's office.
I get it — more than you might expect
My path to this work was personal, not just career-driven.
I know what it feels like to be stuck, confused, and desperate for help—even if, on the outside, I appeared capable and driven.
I know what it's like when the past won't stay in the past — and when your own mind feels like unpredictable terrain, shifting in ways that are hard to explain to people who haven't lived it— and hard to understand yourself.
At a point in my own life, I reached out for help — because I knew I absolutely had to. Therapy changed things for me, and I'm still reaping the benefits of that decision today.
I know what it's like to struggle — to be exhausted not just by the hard thing itself, but by the work of making sure no one can tell. That personal experience, combined with over 15 years of clinical work specializing in mood disorders, anxiety, and trauma, is what shapes the way I work. I don't sit across from clients as someone who only knows this territory from books. I know it from life too. And I think that's part of why clients tell me they feel truly seen in our sessions — sometimes for the first time.
What our work together looks like
Sessions are focused entirely on you — your history, your goals, your pace. I provide a non-judgmental space where you can show up exactly as you are, including when you're confused, overwhelmed, or unsure where to start. I work with the whole person — thoughts, feelings, body, and behavior. Some days, that looks like working through a pattern that's been running your life for years. Other days, it looks like a breathing exercise, a creative prompt, or simply being heard in a way you haven't been before. I've been told by clients that I am non-judgmental, intellectual, funny, and kind. I listen carefully and read between the lines. I'll bring structure when you need it and ease when you don't. What I want most is for you to leave our work together knowing yourself more deeply — what you need, how to ask for it, and how to build a life that actually feels like yours.
Could we work well together?
I hope so! If you've landed here, something brought you — and that something matters. This page is my attempt to give you a real sense of who I am, not just what I do, so you can decide if I might be the right person to work with.
I get it — more than you might expect
I became a therapist because of my own life, not in spite of it.
I know what it feels like to be stuck, confused, and desperate for help.
I know what it's like when the past won't stay in the past — and when your own mind feels like unpredictable terrain, shifting in ways that are hard to explain to people who haven't lived it.
At a point in my own life, I reached out for help — because I knew I absolutely had to. Therapy changed things for me, and I'm still reaping the benefits of that decision today.
I know what it's like to struggle — to be exhausted not just by the hard thing itself, but by the work of making sure no one can tell. That personal experience, combined with over 15 years of clinical work specializing in mood disorders, anxiety, and trauma, is what shapes the way I work. I don't sit across from clients as someone who only knows this territory from books. I know it from life too. And I think that's part of why clients tell me they feel truly seen in our sessions — sometimes for the first time.
What our work together looks like
Sessions are focused entirely on you — your history, your goals, your pace. I provide a non-judgmental space where you can show up exactly as you are, including when you're confused, overwhelmed, or unsure where to start. I work with the whole person — thoughts, feelings, body, and behavior. Some days, that looks like working through a pattern that's been running your life for years. Other days, it looks like a breathing exercise, a creative prompt, or simply being heard in a way you haven't been before. I've been told by clients that I am intelligent, funny, and kind. That I listen carefully and read between the lines. I'll bring structure when you need it and ease when you don't. What I want most is for you to leave our work together knowing yourself more deeply — with the tools to navigate what once felt impossible, a clearer sense of what you need, and the ability to build a life that actually feels like yours.
Let's talk
Reaching out can be the hardest part. I want to make it as easy as possible. I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation where you can share a little about what's going on, and we can get a sense of whether we'd be a good fit. No pressure, no commitment.
Start feeling better and have more energy.
Reach out today. I’m here for you.