Amanda Costin

ABOUT MY APPROACH

Sometimes we come to a place in our lives where we need another person to listen to us deeply and compassionately. Counseling is about personal growth, self-acceptance, and sometimes, coping with unexpected life crises. I approach each client by trying to determine what is unique about you as a result of your life story. I place paramount value in our counseling sessions on your strengths and courage to discover a positive path to growth and well-being.

My practice focuses on counseling individuals who want to work on: Personal relationships; overcoming depression and/or anxiety; grief and loss issues; life transitions and/or personal growth. I also have a particular interest in perinatal and postpartum mental health with a focus on: pregnancy loss; pregnancy termination; depression and anxiety during pregnancy; and postpartum depression and anxiety. In addition, I also work with clients who are struggling with infertility.

Whether you are looking for extra support through a painful or challenging life event or you’re ready to move in a new direction in your life, I look forward to working with you in a safe and accepting environment.

ABOUT ME

With twenty years experience as a counselor, I maintain a private practice working with a broad spectrum of clients in my Northampton office. I earned a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision with a minor in Couples Counseling from Kent State University in 2000. I also earned a M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling from the University of Virginia in 1992. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts (#6442), and an Approved Clinical Supervisor (#966).

I believe the therapeutic relationship is the most important element of a helpful counseling experience. As such, I am actively engaged with clients and believe strongly in a collaborative and respectful relationship. Your issues, concerns, personal history, and worldview will inform our work together. My counseling orientation is integrative, and I am most heavily influenced by the person-centered, solution-focused, and the cognitive-behavioral approaches to counseling. I will strive to provide a safe and consistent relationship with you while challenging you to examine how you relate with the world around you.

The ultimate goals of self-awareness and self-acceptance are goals that sometimes take a long time to achieve. Some clients need only a few counseling sessions to achieve these goals, while others may require months of counseling. As a client, you are in complete control and may end the counseling relationship at any point. If counseling is successful, you should feel that you are able to face life’s challenges in the future without my ongoing support. With compassion and understanding, I will work with you to help you build on your strengths so that you can feel more like yourself and/or attain the personal growth you are committed to accomplishing.

LOCATION

In addition to my work with you here, if you live in/travel to Western Massachusetts, I can also see you in my Northampton office.