family therapist, teacher, writer, consultant
Individual, Couples and Family Therapy
Amy began her family therapy training over thirty years ago with Dr. Salvador Minuchin, a central figure in the development of family therapy and one of the most influential leaders in the field. Dr. Minuchin’s teaching, often referred to as “structural family therapy”, formed the underpinning of Amy’s evolution as a family therapist. This approach is characterized by observing how the couple or family operate in its present patterns, which provides an understanding of how the family gets stuck and symptoms develop. This present-oriented, experiential orientation allows for successful treatment for those who have tried other therapies without improvement. Over the past many years, Amy has seen hundreds of couples with significant marital distress, including extra-marital affairs. She has treated many families with difficult children, from two-year olds with temper tantrums to teens with mood, school or social problems. Adults with anxiety or depression are treated with the same compassionate, relational framework which characterizes Amy’s work. Her excellent training, wide experience, growth as a human being, and her humanistic view of the families that seek her help often make for successful treatment in a relatively brief time. This includes what are commonly thought of intractable cases.
Health
Amy pays attention to health in her diagnostic evaluations and in her therapy. She has learned that most people don't know what they do well, and are out of touch with what is healthy about them. Her approach integrates an understanding of a person's strengths, looks at ways in which they become stuck with the goal of helping to create a new, more life affirming dynamic. Amy’s extensive experience as a family therapist has deepened her appreciation for the trials and triumphs of the human condition.
