Meet Amy:
Trauma Therapist in Southfield, MI | Online Therapy Across Michigan
My Approach: I've spent 15 years developing a clinical style that draws on EMDR, IFS, and psychodynamic training. The work is deep and relational, and I've found that parents are often some of the most motivated people I work with. The stakes feel real to them in a way that tends to make the work move.
I am an EMDRIA Certified Therapist, which means I’ve met rigorous training and practice standards in EMDR and maintain my certification through ongoing continuing education. It matters to me that I do this work well.
I believe in respectful parenting, not as a technique but as a value. The way we were parented shapes us. The way we parent shapes our kids. That thread runs through almost everything I do clinically, and it informs how I think about the work parents bring into the room.
Respectful parenting is an approach that honors children’s autonomy, emotional experiences, and developmental needs while maintaining clear and consistent boundaries. It draws on attachment theory and developmental psychology, and prioritizes connection over compliance.
Respectful parenting means treating kids as whole people whose emotions and experiences matter, not problems to be managed. It’s rooted in the understanding that connection is what actually drives healthy development, not compliance or control. That value shows up in how I work with parents too. The goal is never to fix you or manage your behavior. It’s to help you access what’s already there.
For parents in Metro Detroit looking for a therapist who brings these values into the room, you’ll find that here.
Warmth is real here, and so is honesty. If you’re dancing around something, I’ll notice, and I’ll reflect it back kindly. Not to push you, but because that’s often exactly where the most important work is waiting.
About Me
trauma therapist. mama. wife. licensed clinical social worker. therapy nerd. cultivator of plants. anti-racist. ally. adventurer. feminist. avid reader. gardener. neurodivergent. strategy game lover. nature seeker.
Real change is possible, no matter how long you’ve been struggling.
About Me:
I've been doing this work for 15 years and I feel fortunate to be part of my clients' healing journeys.
A lot of my clients are parents. And I'll be honest: I get it in a way that goes beyond clinical training. Parenthood has a way of surfacing things you thought you'd dealt with or didn't know were there at all. The moments where you react in ways that surprise you. The patterns you swore you wouldn't repeat. The realization that healing yourself and protecting your kids are the same work.
I have lived experience with ADHD, and I spent years doing clinical work with children as young as three before moving into private practice with adults. That background shapes how I think about families, attachment, and the way early experiences leave their mark. When a parent sits across from me and describes their kid, I'm not just listening as a clinician. I understand that world.
I named my practice The Balm Within because I believe the capacity to heal is already inside you. And for parents, that healing doesn't stay contained. When you change, your family changes. The way you show up for your kids, the patterns you're no longer passing down, the cycle that stops with you. That's generational change. And it starts here.
I show up the same way I'd want someone to show up for my own kids: warm, real, and not taking myself too seriously. I've found that parents especially appreciate a space where they don't have to perform being okay.
From my experience, healing IS possible.
If something here resonates and you’d like to connect, I’d love to hear from you.
Here’s the short version for anyone who needs it:
Amy is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and trauma therapist based in Southfield, MI, serving parents throughout Metro Detroit in person and via telehealth across Michigan. She specializes in EMDR and IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy, with a focus on helping parents heal trauma, anxiety, and depression at the root, including the generational patterns that affect their families. Amy is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist and holds advanced training in both EMDR and IFS and has been in private practice for 15 years.
Therapy with me is…
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A lot of parents come in carrying the weight of holding everything together. In here, you don't have to. You can be in the middle of a hard season, not have it figured out, and still do meaningful work. We start where you are, not where you think you should be.
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I'm not a blank slate and I'm not just here to reflect back what you say. I‘ll help you dig deep, and I'll share what I see. Kindly, but honestly. This is your work and I'm here to do it with you, not just witness it.
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I believe in respectful parenting, not as a technique but as a value. The way we were parented shapes us. The way we parent shapes our kids. That thread runs through everything I do clinically, and it informs how I think about the work parents bring into the room.
Specializing in…
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My Training & Education
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Master’s Social Worker-Clinical #6801093179
Masters of Social Work, University of Michigan, 2010
Bachelors of Science, Human and Family Development; Penn State University, 2009
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Basic Training, EMDR International Association, 2012 and 2021.
EMDR Certification
IFS Level 1 Training
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EMDRIA: EMDR International Association
You May Have Some Questions…
Do you only work with parents, or do you see other clients too?
Not exclusively. While a lot of my clients are parents and my work is shaped by that lens, the through line is really about readiness. If you're an adult who has done some therapy before, has insight into your patterns, and feels like something still hasn't moved, we're probably a good fit regardless of whether you're a parent. Parenthood just has a particular way of making that gap impossible to ignore.
How do I know if we’re a good fit?
Honestly, you'll probably have a sense of it pretty quickly. If you've read this far and something here is resonating, that's usually a meaningful signal. The free 15-minute consultation is designed for exactly this: it's a chance for us to get a feel for each other before committing to anything.
Do you work with neurodivergent clients?
Yes, and it's work I feel particularly connected to. I have lived experience with ADHD myself, and I parent children who don’t fit into the love and logic parenting mold. I understand that neurodivergent brains experience the world differently, and that shapes how I work. Sessions don't have to look a certain way. We find what works for you.
Healing at the root. For you. For your family.
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Healing at the root. For you. For your family. —