Amanda Neves (she/her)

RSW, Psychotherapist, Clinical Director

  • BASc in Psychology, University of Guelph, 2013

    Master of Social Work, University of Toronto, 2015

    “Attachment: Cradle to Grave”, Susan Johnson & Dan Hughes, June 2015

    “Becoming an Adult Attachment Focused Therapist”, Sick Kids CCMH, Annette Kussin RSW, May 2019

    “Incorporating DBT Informed Practice with Children, Adolescents & Families”, Sick Kids CCMH, January 2020

    “Casualties of Care: Social Work as a Cog in the Machinery of White Supremacy”, CASW, October 2020

    “Healing & Easing Depression: Using the Change Triangle & the Transformational Power of Core Emotions”, Hilary Jacobs Hendel LCSW, March 2021

    AEDP Level 1, Immersion, Diana Fosha, AEDP Institute NYC, 2021

    AEDP Level 2, Essential Skills (ES1), AEDP Institute NYC, 2021-2022

    Internal Family Systems Therapy, Frank Anderson, February 2022

    “Revolutionizing Trauma & Addiction Treatment with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model”, OASW, April 2022

    “The Neurodiversity Movement; A Social Worker’s Curiosity about Adult ADHD”, OASW, June 2022

    ISTDP “Reaching Through Resistance”, Steve Shapiro PhD, 2022-2023

    “A Practical Understanding of Anger from an AEDP Perspective”, Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW, April 2023

    “Celebrating Differences in the Application of EDTs: Comparing & Contrasting Styles”, Steve Shapiro, Ange Cooper & Johannes Kieding, January 2024

    “Rescuing the Self: From No Self to Core Self”, Advanced Skills Module, Annika Medbo LP, AEDP Institute, July 2024

    “Affirmation & Recognition: The Tao to the Core Self”, Diana Fosha PhD, October 2024

    “Shame, Transformance & AEDP”, Sheila Rubin LMFT & Bret Lyon PhD, November 2024

    AEDP Group Supervision (for certification), Richard Harrison PhD, 2023-Present

    • Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)

    • Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)

    • Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)

    • Somatic & Mindfulness Based Practices

    • Psychodynamic

    • Emotion Focused Therapy

    • Trauma and Attachment Informed

    • Anti-Oppressive & Culturally Sensitive

  • Out of sessions, you’d find me: hanging out with the people who make my nervous system feel wonderful, watch documentaries and worldly films, going on runs no matter the weather, and musing on colours to paint my home.

    My favourite book right now: Traces of Enayat by Iman Mersal

    Current guilty pleasure: Giving myself permission to stop reading a book I don’t like, no matter how far I’m in. And no guilt!

    I love being a therapist because: I truly feel a sense of deep connection with the people I heal with. Something about being a part of the lives of others in such a way feels like an embodiment of the change I want to see in the world, and I’m so grateful for it.

 

Practicing in the field for the past nine years, I have lovingly built a sustained practice in which the quality of the therapy relationship is at the forefront of our client work. Being an AEDP therapist (certified Level 2), my approach centres on the brain’s capacity for healing using experiential and somatic techniques, as we navigate attachment wounds to promote a more grounded and authentic sense of self. I am also trained in other interrelated approaches including ISTDP and IFS, to help support protective but lingering parts of you that have been helpful in the past, but now cause hardship.

Many of my dear clients have faced challenges including depression and anxiety, relationship struggles, identity issues, and stress around life transitions. Others have experienced attachment ruptures and trauma within their lifetime. No matter the issue at hand, I assist clients in riding their emotional waves in order to repair the nervous system’s sense of safety, so that you can walk away feeling more centered and clear about your life’s path. Outside of the session room, I hold a faculty position at the University of Guelph-Humber, lecturing in the areas of counselling, mental health and addictions, and issues in advocacy and social justice, and support learning as an experiential assistant with the AEDP Institute in New York.

Area of Expertise

  • Trauma, PTSD, and CPTSD

  • Attachment difficulties

  • Relationship challenges

  • Connecting with self esteem and values

  • Chronic or acute anxiety, and stress related to life transitions or high performance environments

  • Physical symptoms including tension, exhaustion, burnout, headaches

  • Mental symptoms including rumination, hopelessness, overthinking

  • Relational symptoms like avoidance, withdrawing, shutting down, people pleasing, or ruminating/obsessing about romantic interests or friends

Services Offered

  • Individual Therapy

  • Virtual and In Person Therapy

  • Clinical Consultation & Supervision

  • Corporate Webinars and Workshops