About Amanda
Couples Therapist
I grew up in Sydney Australia, in a large, happy family nearby the bush. Our home was busy and people came and went regularly. I became fascinated by the dynamics between my parents, siblings, cousins, neighbours and friends and was highly attuned to the people around me. I spent a lot of time noticing, thinking, and feeling. My curiosity with human dynamics begun at a young age.
As I got older, I craved adventure and new experiences so after my schooling I spent some time travelling, experiencing the awe and beauty of the world. My noticing, thinking and feeling continued in my interactions with people all over the world from various cultures. Listening to peoples stories about their lives and experiences highlighted for me that that the yearning for connection and belonging appeared to be a universal desire. We are are all in this together. This burning curiosity led me to go on to study psychology, specifically family and relationship dynamics. I also eventually became a mother to one boy and two girls, which allowed me the gift of experiencing this kind of attachment and bond first hand.
I have spent the most part of the last 20 years working in a variety of areas with families, individuals and couples, deepening my understanding of the human experience. This has involved working with children, families and carers in the child protection system, with people experiencing domestic violence and I have also worked with clients experiencing anxiety, depression and other mental mental health issues. I supported survivors of child sexual abuse for the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, developing my trauma-informed perspective and this work was a true honour.
Why Couples Counselling?
At the core of it all, it became more and more clear to me the importance of our relationships and that it is our intimate bonds and attachments that can provide the most safety for growth and we are really not taught how to do this! So my passion to help people navigate their relationships and learn how to create this safety for each other became my purpose and my path into specialising in couples therapy.
There are so many elements that impact our relationships such as culture, beliefs, social norms, family of origin and life experiences that every relationship has its unique layers of complexity and this forever changing landscape is why I find this work so exhilarating. We also have the benefit of more research on attachment and neuroscience emerging which is exciting.
Curious to find out more?
Couples Therapy is a heavy therapy. In this work, I see emotional starvation, loss, pain, loneliness but also incredible joy, relief and deeply moving moments of connection. I am continually learning in this space from every person I meet and it is a privilege to be invited along on a couples journey for a while. It can be tough work however there is so much beauty in getting to the heart of the matter and witnessing relationships transcend.
Life is a balance though so when I am not sitting with couples, I am usually ocean swimming, hugging my children, bushwalking, laughing with friends and family, playing soccer or travelling. Connecting with my ‘village’ and with nature is what grounds me and allows me to keep doing this work that I love. Thank you for listening.