PSYCHOTHERAPY | THE COUNSELLING SPOT | ONTARIO
THE COUNSELLING SPOT
Amanda Lyons, MC, RSW
Registered Psychotherapist, Registered Social Worker
Thank you for stopping by - Serving all of Ontario virtually and now offering in office sessions on Monday/Thursday and Friday's. Virtual services are offered if that is helpful to you. Want to know if we are a good fit or have any questions for me? Take advantage of a consultation (no fee).
I can help, lets connect.
ABOUT ME
Education and Biography
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Welcome! My name is Amanda Lyons, I am the owner of The Counselling Spot and a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists Ontario (CRPO) and hold a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology (MC). I am also a Registered Social Worker. I have been working in the field of counselling psychology since 2011 and outside of individual counselling I have experience in teaching, supervising, presenting workshops and running groups.
I have been working formally alongside people on their journey to self-discovery, and healing, for the past ten years. Informally, I have leaned into the role of therapist/counsellor almost all of my life. I hope to help you get some distance from challenges you may be experiencing by promoting a mind body connection where you learn what your body may be telling you relation to emotions/feelings. Additionally, I strive to help bring relief/balance back into lives by helping you develop new coping skills and look toward yourself with some compassion.
Trainings I have engaged in include: EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Dissociative Identity, grief and loss, grounded mindfulness, neuro-behavioral approaches to psychotherapy, self-compassion approaches to psychotherapy, group counselling, and anxiety/depression workshops.
APPROACH TO COUNSELLING
Here For You:
Have you had thoughts about seeing a therapist but have put it off? Have you had struggles in relationships? Experienced long lasting feelings of anxiety or depression? Are you going through a transition that is significant to you? Have you experienced a traumatic event? I am here to help and work alongside you as you develop new insights and skills. I hope to help discover how you can approach yourself with kindness, and develop a variety of strategies that can be used when unhelpful thoughts/feelings are first noticed.
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Areas of Interest:
I most often work with anxiety, trauma, depression, transitions, and dissociation. I have a special interest in post partum/family planning/infertility, relationships, and parenting.
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Theoretical Approach:
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I incorporate Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, EMDR, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindful Self-Compassion, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy into the work I do.
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I believe the therapeutic relationship to be an essential part of the process of working together. I work under the belief that each person is the expert in their own life experiences and we all have the power to re-write our own narratives. YOU know best! I hope, during our time together, you will begin to believe in your own expertise. I believe our past influences our present - but need not dictate it.
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​Therapy can be a difficult, and even painful, process wherein clients explore themselves within the context of their own lives. By gaining insight into your experiences the difficult feelings that brought you to counselling can begin to feel heard. As clients explore, I strive to up-hold a client-centered approach where the client is the expert. In line with acceptance and commitment therapy, I encourage an approach without judgements, but instead with curiosity and wonder. I also try to teach self-compassion. If you aren't being kind to yourself, how do you expect others to be?
I strongly believe in the mind body connection. Recognizing one's own emotions and feelings is an important process to know when an intervention may be helpful to employ. The mind and body provide us with clues regarding our mental state, if you can't express exactly what you are feeling how are you supposed to ask for help? Noticing what we are thinking, and how we are feeling in our bodies, promotes a strong mind body connection leading to a better understanding of what is happening - and why. To promote the mind body connection I work with psycho-somatic interventions, mindfulness and self-compassion. I strive to maintain connection to my body in client sessions to help model what I try to teach. I believe in the work that I do with each person I see - I am here for you.
