AEDP Therapists in Lackawanna County, PA

Hi, I'm glad you found my page. When I meet with someone who has been seeking therapy, they've often had a hard time feeling connected to others or they struggle to be in the moment. Others deal with low self-worth, negative beliefs about themselves, or feeling they cannot get where they want to be in life. In our therapeutic work, I want to help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and your strengths, feel empowered to manage emotions when life feels overwhelming, and build more fulfilling relationships with yourself and others. I take a warm and genuine approach to getting to know you as an individual and what helps you.

Lois supports adults struggling to connect with others, establish healthy boundaries, or communicate within their current relationships due to early childhood trauma. She utilizes a trauma-informed, culturally responsive lens to support clients with unconditional regard and occasional humor. Based upon a client’s needs and preferences, her clinical orientation can include a blend of AEDP, family systems, trauma-healing, strengths-based, and narrative therapy. Lois strives to provide a loving "no judgement zone" for clients to pursue their healing. She serves as a cheerleader in her clients' journey towards NEW hope and resilience.

I’m proud of you for taking the step to start looking for help, I think you are super brave. I know that the idea of starting therapy can be intimidating and scary. Therapy is highly stigmatized and we’re taught from a young age that asking for help is a sign of weakness. However, I believe that taking this step shows immeasurable strength. I am here to walk hand-in-hand with you while shedding light on what you are struggling with; to help you see the greatest parts of yourself and work through the depths of your pain.

Dr. Amanda (Banes) Darnley (pronouns: she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience working in a variety of settings including inpatient hospitals, residential treatment facilities, and outpatient practices. Though she has worked with a wide range of concerns, she has a particular soft spot for people struggling with feeling like they are “too much” or “not enough”. Dr. Darnley grounds her sessions in the principles of empowerment, compassion and clarity with the intent to support her clients as they uncover those traits within themselves.

Confidential, compassionate and individually tailored counseling and life coaching. Support and guidance for difficult and painful feelings, relationship issues, or problem behaviors, including depression, anxiety, stress, sadness, anger, guilt, embarrassment, confusion. Education and coaching for misunderstanding and/or conflict at work, at home, with partner or spouse, with children, with parents. Experienced education and counseling for struggles with alcohol and/or drug use. Understanding, support and guidance with on-going issues in recovery and/or dual diagnoses. ADHD coaching. Counseling for those on Disability.

You've probably been to a therapist before, and it hasn't quite felt right. Or maybe you liked them, but felt disconnected from their approach. Felt that there was a way to work more deeply with your emotions, but your therapist wanted to talk about your thoughts, and give you homework. Felt really bogged down in the details, and the negative, of what's been going on in your life. Haven't really laughed.

Anxiety, depression, and the other experiences that bring us to therapy are some of life's greatest challenges, but in therapy they become valuable opportunities for growth. Through therapy our struggles become an opening to deeper self-understanding, to new ways of living, and even to new beginnings. Our suffering asks us to seek help and to find a place where we may learn to better help ourselves. In the supportive context of therapy we begin to see our symptoms and difficulties in a new way- as the first difficult steps on a journey of learning and growth.

We are a team of bilingual Licensed Clinical and Master level Social Workers who practice both in New York and Pennsylvania. Our experiences include working with clients from different backgrounds and with different presenting problems, such as depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, suicidality, mood and eating disorders. Our learning has been shaped through diverse experiences working with adolescents, and adults who face daily struggles and challenges in their lives.

You’ve spent a lot of your life just “getting through it”. Despite a lot of difficulties in your childhood, and even your early adult life, you’ve managed to bulldoze through it all and stay on track as much as you could. But now that you’re through it (at least mostly), your past seems to be catching up to you. Your relationships with significant others, friends, family and even yourself seem to be challenging. You’re realizing now that maybe “just getting through it” wasn’t enough, and it is time to get some support for yourself, whether you really want to or not. Slowing down is really difficult, but it's time.

You are more than the painful experiences you have endured. You may feel triggered in everyday situations or feel alone and isolated. You may struggle with perfectionism, anxiety, or guilt. However, you have a sense of your life purpose — and long to live your life more authentically. You are ready for relief. You're ready to love who you truly are and face your future with a sense of hope. In our work together, you will gain a deeper respect for what makes you unique. Through connecting with your core, authentic self, you can experience greater ease, freedom, and self-acceptance.

**I offer sliding scale pricing** I am a Bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker who practices both in New York and Pennsylvania. My experiences include working with clients from different backgrounds and with different presenting problems, such as depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, suicidality, mood and eating disorders. My learning has been shaped through my experiences working with adolescents, and adults who face daily struggles and challenges in their lives.

Seeking therapy takes immense strength and courage. It can feel vulnerable to trust another human with your struggles, fear, and pain. From the beginning, I will do my best to listen deeply and carefully, respecting that you have been doing the best you can with what you’ve been handed in life. I believe that our symptoms often provide information about how we have had to adapt to our circumstances. I therefore strive to honor how you have had to cope while working towards alleviating your distress and deepening your connection with yourself and others.

The foundation of good therapy is trust. As we build trust together, we can begin to explore, identify and tolerate emotions in healthier ways. Emotions are never the problem. Instead, emotions are data- guiding us to truth and potential. When we manage our emotions, and learn from them, we can avoid the traps of language, thinking, and habit that inhibit healthy development, that leave us stuck. Therapy is like an excavation. It is a cathartic oxygenation of buried experience done by an individual with the help of a therapist.