Amber Young, Trauma Specialist in Connecticut & Maryland

Meet Amber Young!

Our founder, Amber Young, will often say that “My job is my hobby”, and we love that. Providing therapy and helping people heal is such an honor. We love when our clients say “You always get it” or “You make this so simple”. Our goal is to provide you with steps after each session so that your growth can continue even when we are not around.  We want our clients to feel comfortable in our space. It is a little victory when a client goes for a fidget without asking, cuddles up with a blanket, or makes a pit stop in the waiting room for a snack. Our sessions will always be focused on you, but we let our human side show in session. We will share personal experiences to help with insights or to show you that we understand. We will share how the coping strategies that we are suggesting have impacted our lives. We try to joke and be relatable in session, and some have said that therapy with us is like talking with a really good, smart, and caring friend.

Our brains are wired to keep us alive, not keep us happy. However, in therapy we can learn how to conjure more levity into your day to day and create more reasons for joy. We believe that all people can heal, even if healing looks different for all. Our practice therapeutic foundation is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), in which we explore the dynamics between one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. We can look for where the brain is automating and making an error, or where a coping pattern was helpful in the past but no longer serves you in your current phase of life. We will help you see that you are not stupid, lazy, or crazy. There are sound reasons for whatever patterns you are struggling with. 

We are all trauma informed and specialized therapists. We bring in some elements from Internal Family Systems (IFS), the work of Bessel Van Der Kolk and Gabor Mate relating to the bodily impacts of trauma and the bidirectional effect the mind and body have, and Emotional Focused Therapy (EFT) or tapping.

As an anxiety and OCD specialist, we are trained in Exposure and Response Prevention in addition to Inference Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) which is the only talk therapy method that has demonstrated success in treating OCD.

Depending on the clients needs, we may implement movement, art, and play into a session. We always have fidgets and snacks. It is totally fine to pace, sit bunched up on the couch, or lay down in session. Do what you need to do in order to feel comfortable and regulated in order to learn.