About Me

Meet Your Therapist

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Amanda Pratt, BSP, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Founder, Therapist

My Approach

Proudly providing virtual services as a Chronic Illness Therapist. I offer online/ virtual based sessions for anyone in the state of Florida, Alabama and Michigan (Therapy clients are required to live in one of these states during our sessions).

 

In Therapy...

We will address the thoughts, feelings & behaviors as well as the social and spiritual aspects of chronic illness.  Through a focus on self-care,  healing and understanding the past and making sense of what is happening in the present, I offer support through teaching communication strategies and strengths based coping skills.  I strongly believe in clients taking an active role in their own pain and treatment.

 

Modalities Utilized

  • CBT
  • DBT
  • ACT
  • Mindfulness
  • Stress Management & Reduction
  • Chronic Disease Self Management
  • Integrative Nutrition for Mental Health
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Polyvagal Theory
  • Compassion Based Therapy
  • Chronic Illness Coping
  • Brainspotting

Therapy Client Focus

  • Adults (I do not see clients under the age of 18)

What Can Therapy Help With?

  • Coping with symptoms
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Grief & Loss (related to chronic illness)
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Self- Esteem
  • Medical Trauma
  • Communication challenges
  • Stress Management
  • Self Advocacy
  • Emotion Regulation
  • Boundary Setting
  • And More!

 

My Story

Pain is personal for me.  Having lived with Fibromyalgia, Lupus, POTS and chronic neurological Lyme Disease for years, I know exactly how devastating and difficult it can be to live with a chronic illness.  Through a struggle to redefine what was important to me as well as to focus on my own self care, I made it my life's mission to help others who experience a similar struggle.

I graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2009.  I went on to graduate from the University of Michigan in 2013 with a Master of Social Work degree. I  became a School Social Worker for 3 years working mainly with students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.  Throughout this process, I became diagnosed with several chronic diseases. This not only changed my life, it changed my perspective.  I learned first hand that there are few supports to help emotionally cope with this major life change. After years of struggling, I took my wellness into my own hands through education, training and extensive research and finding ways to not only manage my disease outside of the doctor's office, but to ultimately create a life for myself I could still be happy with and fulfilled by. I have also pursued a diverse range of training to support clients such as CBT for medical conditions, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Polyvagal theory, Compassion Based Therapy, Nutrition for Mental Health and Brainspotting. Having been successful in doing this and reflecting on my purpose, I made it my mission to help others experiencing the same difficulties.

Fun Fact: I am a Mom to two adorable golden retrievers named Kai and Marina, two rescue cats named Cali and Felix and a contributing Writer for The Mighty.  I also am a visual artist in my spare time and an avid nature enthusiast.

Are you ready to take the next step? Schedule your in person or video session today!


 

Take the Next Step...

I know seeking out support can be hard - admitting that we need help is even harder!  Taking the first step to reach out means you have already started growing.  Schedule Your free 15 minute video consultation OR go ahead and schedule your first appointment online!