AEDP Therapists in Reading, PA

People are unique and complex. However, they are never merely a collection of symptoms that result in a “diagnosis.” Too often, such an approach is standard practice in mental health where a reductionistic and pathologizing approach is taken to the individual seeking mental health services. I view the individuals I work with as having made the best decisions and choices they could given the circumstances they faced at the moment in time that negatively impacted them. I believe such an understanding is crucial to helping people overcome the adversity they carry with them.

When working with individuals my focus is to provide deep, compassionate understanding while working together to access emotions connected to your true self that help unlock natural healing processes. With families my focus is to connect and support each family member while working toward a path that is important for the whole family. I have experience helping individuals and families struggling with anxiety, depression, self-harm, oppositional behaviors, social isolation and trauma.

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.

At any stage of development, we are bound to encounter obstacles to our ability to thrive. I help clients to become proactive agents in their own process. I have worked with all ages to reduce symptoms, promote growth, and instill lasting change. I support children, teens, adults, and families in healing from anxiety, trauma, grief, and depression and OCD. I have a speciality in working with LGBTQIA+ individuals, especially GNC and transgender folks. I am licensed in AL, AZ, AR, CT, CO, DE, GA, FL, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.

Are you experiencing a recent loss or death? One minute, we’re going about our lives as usual and then sometimes in an instant, everything changes. With these changes grief brings, are you finding yourself disconnected from the world around you, your family/friends, and the person you used to be? Many people who are grieving find themselves struggling to make it through the day, relating to other people, and imagining a life after loss. Grief can be an incredibly isolating experience but you don't have to navigate it without support. Let's work together to help get to know your grief and integrate your loss.

You want more and deserve better. For many adults and youngsters, feelings of anxiety and depression leave you feeling like you are just getting by. Meeting in person, talking about your thoughts, feelings, and concerns within a safe therapeutic relationship, we can work together to help you become unstuck and rebuild a life with purpose and meaning. For some, this may include processing painful emotions, grieving losses, navigating difficult relationships, or changing self-defeating patterns. Therapy is hard work and by reading this page, you’ve already shown you’re curious to learn more about yourself and are motivated to change.

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.

Breakups suck. You can't get the thoughts about this person out of your head, and you keep wondering whether you were the problem, whether the relationship was all a mistake, or if they were truly the love of your life that you let slip through your fingers. This breakup is making you doubt if you are worthy of love at all and bringing up painful feelings about yourself and your past that you would rather forget. When you are single you just feel so alone, but you so deeply want to be able to heal, to take this breakup as an opportunity to move forward and finally learn to be okay with being by yourself.

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.

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.

If you are feeling stuck, alone, or confused about yourself or your relationships, then therapy could be a helpful next step for you. I would love to help you explore your story and learn how to tap into your ability to grow and heal. My style is warm, conversational, and relational, because I believe the main way we grow and change is by being in authentic and non-judgmental relationships. Whether you are facing relational concerns, a life transition, grief and loss, anxiety and depression, or any type of trauma, my goal is to help you gain both the insight and the skills you need to navigate your concerns.

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.

I specialize in helping individuals navigate major life changes or transitions. This might include getting married or divorced, caring for a partner or relative, welcoming a new child, changing jobs or careers, getting older, mid-life uncertainty, losing a loved one. These types of changes can feel destabilizing and create anxiety or depression, even if the change is something you want. Many clients come in saying they feel stuck and don't know what to do anymore. Talking through these life events and understanding how they affect you can help reduce the worry and uncertainty, making it easier to think clearly and make decisions.

The very same interpersonal and thinking patterns that cause us distress were often initially formed as brilliant adaptations to the conditions of our unjust world. While those patterns helped us survive, they may also have diminished our capacities to attune to ourselves, form nourishing relationships, and experience pleasure, curiosity, and ease. I believe healing is made possible by investing in a process of understanding our patterns, coming back into relationship with all parts of ourselves, and strengthening our capacities for feeling, regulation, and thoughtful action. I am honored to support my clients on this journey.

**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.

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.

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.