About

Hey there, and welcome!!

I am so happy that you are here, and reading my page!  That means that you have already taken the first step towards making the conscious decision that you would like to make a change, and grow. I would love to be the one to help assist and support you on your unique healing journey!

My name is Amanda, and I am a clinical psychotherapist with over 15 years of varied experiences. I graduated with my Masters in Clinical Social Work from New York University (NYU). My specialty areas are ADHD, couples therapy, parent-adolescent relationships, intimate relationships, life transitions, chronic health conditions, depression, anxiety, addiction, woman's concerns, and self esteem/self concept issues.I am also a certified ADHD specialist and ADHD coach. I am very passionate about promoting awareness, education, treatment, and understanding of people affected by ADHD (and anything else that affects mental health!!!).

Besides doing the traditional therapist role, I have had the opportunity to do some additional experiences in the field that has broadened my knowledge, skill set, humility, and understanding. I have taught “Introduction to Psychology” and “Family Systems” courses at local universities. This gave me an opportunity to help shape the future practitioners in the field, and also fine tune my own knowledge and skills. I had the opportunity to be a key note speaker at a “Suicide Prevention and Awareness” walk, and then was able to walk alongside and talk with people that had been affected by suicide. I have had the opportunity to do outreach clinics abroad in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. I was part of a team that conducted original research on the effectiveness of strength-based therapy techniques with adolescents in the criminal justice system, gangs, and/or abused drugs. I helped counsel and support people that had been newly diagnosed with type-one diabetes in the hospital. In New York City, I counseled teen parents that attended public high school, and also worked as the Brooklyn Borough Supervisor for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) where I was assigned by the court high risk child welfare cases to follow up, and then give the court my clinical recommendation on what was in the best interest of the children involved. I have worked as a therapist on in-patient behavioral health units, and also in-patient drug recovery centers. I have been contracted by the government to assume the position of “Director of Psychological Health” for the entire National Guard in the state of Wisconsin, and oversee all behavioral health services for those soldiers and their family members. All of these experiences have shaped me as a therapist, and prepared me to be in private practice for the last eight years.

My therapeutic approach is warm, compassionate, interactive, and centered around you. I utilize leading psychological modalities in my treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, and client-centered therapy. I consider the client/therapist relationship to be the most important thing to establish in counseling.  It's a unique working relationship where you can feel free to say absolutely anything and everything with no fear of judgement. I want you to know there is absolutely nothing you can say where I would judge you or think less of you. Your feelings are just that...your feelings. I want you to feel understood, empowered, supported, and validated to be authentically you. It's in creating this safe space for you that healing can begin! I will help you to arrive at insight, give you tools and strategies that will help you move forward, and guide and encourage you towards achieving your goals. I want to help you feel excited about your life!

I tell people that it is usually the healthy people that come to therapy.  That is because it takes a lot of courage, motivation, and self awareness to change. I would love to be the one to help facilitate you with making those changes, while giving you the support and compassion you deserve to do it!

I look forward to working with you!

Warm regards,
Amanda Rue, LCSW, MSW