Amanda Buchanan

Sometimes you can understand exactly why you feel the way you do and still have no idea how to make it stop. You may know where the anxiety comes from, recognize the relationship pattern, or understand that something happened a long time ago, yet your mind and body still react as though nothing has changed.

That is the kind of work I love doing.

I help teens and adults who feel stuck in the effects of trauma, difficult relationships, anxiety, depression, low self-worth, emotional overwhelm, or major life transitions. Rather than focusing only on the symptoms you are experiencing today, I work with you to understand the bigger picture: what happened, what you learned to do to survive it, what patterns developed along the way, and what may now be getting in the way of the life you want.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master of Social Work from Arizona State University and more than 2,000 hours of experience providing EMDR psychotherapy. My approach also incorporates DBT, CBT, mindfulness, and other evidence-based strategies. The goal is not to fit you into one therapy model, but to use the approaches that make the most sense for you.

I don’t believe good therapy should feel like you are being analyzed from across the room. I want our work to feel like a genuine conversation with someone who is paying close attention, helping you make connections, and willing to work alongside you toward something different.

We will spend time understanding what is underneath the problem, but therapy with me is also practical. If you are overwhelmed, struggling in relationships, having difficulty regulating emotions, or repeatedly getting pulled into the same patterns, I want you to leave with tools you can actually use, not just a better explanation of why the problem exists.

For some clients, that means building skills around emotional regulation, boundaries, communication, or coping first. For others, it means using EMDR and trauma-focused work to address experiences that continue to feel emotionally present. Often, it is a combination of both.

I try to balance compassion with honesty. I will never expect you to move faster than you are ready for, but I also won’t assume that simply talking about the same problems every week is enough. We will regularly look at what is helping, what is not, and what needs to change so that therapy continues moving toward the goals that matter to you.

You do not need to come into therapy knowing exactly what is wrong or having the perfect words to explain it. Part of my job is helping you make sense of what you are experiencing.

I work to create an environment that is calm, collaborative, and free of judgment, where difficult experiences can be talked about without making you feel defined by them. We will identify goals together and make sure therapy remains connected to the changes you actually want to see in your life.

That may mean feeling less controlled by the past, responding differently when you are triggered, trusting yourself more, improving your relationships, developing stronger boundaries, regulating emotions without shutting down or becoming overwhelmed, or simply feeling more like yourself again.

My hope is that therapy gives you both insight and movement: a clearer understanding of yourself, practical skills for the present, and an opportunity to work through the things that have kept you stuck. The goal is not to become a completely different person. It is to help you have more freedom in how you live, respond, connect, and move forward.