My Story
I was born in Santiago, Chile, and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, carrying with me a story that began across cultures and continents. I was raised in a way that left me endlessly curious about people—about what shapes us, what connects us, and what separates us. From an early age, I found myself noticing and wondering about race, social class, culture, belonging, and the many intersections of identity that make each of us who we are. I was drawn to the questions that don’t always have easy answers: Who gets to feel like they belong? What happens when the systems around us don’t make room for the fullness of who we are? And what might it look like to create more inclusive, compassionate ways of living together? Those questions have stayed with me throughout my life and have become central to the way I understand therapy, relationships, and healing.
I earned my Bachelor of Social Work before receiving my Master of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2010. For more than 20 years, my work in child welfare has brought me alongside children, families, and adults navigating adoption, foster care, attachment, complex trauma, identity, and loss. As an adult international and transracial adoptee, this work is also deeply personal. I know that identity and belonging can be layered and complicated, and I have always been especially interested in the places where our identities, relationships, histories, and experiences intersect. I am BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ affirming, and I believe there should be room in therapy for the whole person—for the grief, the questions, the contradictions, the joy, and everything in between.
At the heart of my work is a belief in connection and in our capacity for repair. I love talking about trauma because trauma means there are pathways toward repair; I love talking about grief because grief often points us toward what matters most. I want therapy to be a place where we can be curious together, where we can explore the parts of your story that may feel complicated to hold, and where we can imagine something different when the existing ways of doing things no longer fit. I care about being creative, filling gaps, and finding ways of providing care that honor the complexity of being human. This work comes from my heart’s center, and my hope is to create a space where you can feel seen in your wholeness and supported as you move toward a more authentic way of living.
20+
years of experience in child welfare
150+
clients served
(just this practice alone)
100%
from my heart's center
How We Work
Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)
Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) is a gentle, body-based approach that can be helpful when experiences have left a lasting imprint on the nervous system. DBR pays particular attention to the very early moments of a stressful or traumatic experience—before we have words to describe what happened. With the support of a therapist, we slow things down and gently notice sensations, emotions, and responses in the body, allowing space for the brain and nervous system to process what may still feel unresolved.
DBR can be especially meaningful for experiences involving attachment, relational trauma, developmental trauma, and moments that feel difficult to put into words. The work is collaborative and paced with care, with an emphasis on helping you stay connected to yourself while exploring what your body and nervous system may be carrying.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a well-established therapy approach that can help people process distressing or traumatic experiences that continue to affect how they feel, think, or respond in the present. Rather than requiring you to tell every detail of what happened, EMDR uses a structured process that helps your brain reprocess difficult memories and experiences.
During EMDR, you’ll work with your therapist to identify what feels unresolved and develop skills to support a sense of safety and stability. The therapist then guides you through bilateral stimulation—such as following gentle eye movements or alternating sounds or taps—while you briefly notice what comes up. Over time, memories that once felt overwhelming, stuck, or emotionally charged may become less distressing and feel more like experiences that happened in the past. EMDR can be adapted to your needs and is offered at a pace that feels manageable and collaborative.
Structural Dissociation
Structural Dissociation is a way of understanding how the mind and nervous system can adapt when experiences feel too overwhelming, frightening, or painful to fully process. Sometimes, especially in the context of complex or developmental trauma, different parts of us can take on different roles—one part may focus on getting through the day, while another may carry fear, grief, anger, memories, or unmet needs. These responses are not signs that something is wrong with you; they can be understood as ways your system has worked to protect you.
In therapy, we can gently become curious about these different parts and the roles they have learned to play. Rather than trying to get rid of or silence any part of yourself, this work focuses on understanding, compassion, and creating greater connection and cooperation within yourself. For people navigating trauma, attachment wounds, adoption, or complex identity, this framework can offer a way to make sense of experiences that may otherwise feel confusing or contradictory. The goal is not to become less complex, but to develop a more integrated and compassionate relationship with all of the parts of who you are.
Reviews
Robyn Gobbel, MSW
Too many children's books about adoption are parent-centered or promote only a fairy-tale version of adoption. Amy's new book is honest and simple. Not too many words and not a fairy-tale. It is broad enough to apply to all the ways families are formed by adopted (and lost to adoption) as well as the very wide variety of feelings that adopted kids (and adults) have about being adopted- many conflicting feelings all at the same time and this is normal and OK. This is my top-recommended kid's book on adoption.
Josh Grah
Being Adopted is an amazing resource that takes the romanticism of adoption out of the equation and creates real opportunities for dialogue. As an adoptive parent, we have to work hard to be uncomfortable so that our children have the ability to have confidence in their story- and this book helps our six year old begin to take ownership of his story in a way he has not yet comprehended. We hope to use it as a tool to help him set healthy boundaries and to know that we are a safe space for him to have hard emotions, and that the adult adoptees in his life can relate to the feelings he may have and can be mentors to get those feelings processed as well. One of those adoptees recommended this book, and I am so thankful for her honesty and openness throughout our son’s life.
Wanda Wingleton
I was completely taken by the exceptional naming power and attention to detail of this service. I wanted to find a way to get attention for my creatures of great wonder and beauty in this world’s great garden, and Namedly delivered.
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