Amanda Clapp, B.A.

I view therapy as a collaborative endeavor to gain deeper self-understanding and address rigid patterns. It provides an opportunity to spend devoted time on yourself, examining the stories about who you are and planting seeds for something new. The therapeutic journey is filled with creativity, careful listening, and new perspectives, leading to greater insight and lasting change. 

My role is to create a nonjudgmental environment where you can explore your inner world. You are welcome to come as you are, and trust that I aim to be curious, honest, and empathetic to your needs. I will offer you observations and challenging questions to help you unpack the beliefs that may be restricting your growth and bring them to bear toward greater peace and agency in life. 

I am a registered Psychological Associate (PSB 94028170) working under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Bacon and a Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where my academic research focuses on psychoanalysis, contemplative spirituality, and the process of transformation.

Therapeutic Approach

My clinical orientation is psychodynamic, which is a stance that recognizes how thoughts, behaviors, and feelings run along mental grooves deeply influenced by early relationships and experiences. Many of the patterns that seem undesirable now may also feel automatic and unchangeable. However, symptoms also reveal insight about our history, disposition, and desires. As we confront and deconstruct these patterns, we open possibilities for change and greater self-awareness. In sessions, this may look like 1) identification of distressing patterns, 2) naming challenging emotions, 3) exploring the clever (yet sometimes self-destructive) ways we avoid distress, and 4) learning new, less rigid, more open, more creative, and more satisfying ways to engage with the world/events of your life. 

My work is also deeply relational; the dynamics of how you relate to other people can be fertile ground for seeing these patterns with clarity and compassion. Couples therapy is another powerful tool for transformation because it allows us to see these relational dynamics play out in real time and process them in the moment. 

I also incorporate different scientific protocols and tools to offer you holistic care, considering your preferences for therapy and any biological and social factors that might impact your sense of well-being. There is absolutely no “one-size-fits-all” therapy, and your intuition will be one of our best guides. 

At its best, this process can transform what is presently painful into an avenue toward new life.  

Client Information for Amanda Clapp, B.A.

Fees

I charge $150/hour for individual, couples and family therapy, and I reserve a portion of my practice for reduced-fee clients. 

Insurance

Because I am a psychological associate, it is unlikely that insurance companies will reimburse for services. If you would like to attempt reimbursement through your plan, I will provide monthly statements.

Paperwork

If you complete the office paperwork before your first session, it will be more convenient and save time.  Clicking on the following links will provide you with forms that can be printed, filled out at home, and brought to your initial session.

The most important form is the Informed Consent Form, which describes how my practice functions. Next I will need the  Client Database Form, which records demographic information and some brief historical material.  Finally, I am required by law to provide you with a copy of the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices: please sign a brief Acknowledgement Form stating that you have read the HIPAA form.  Lastly, those clients wishing me to discuss their treatment with other doctors or significant others will also have to fill out the Client Release Form.