Amanda Neal, PsyD | Specializations

"What Issues Do I Specialize In?"

As a licensed clinical psychologist, I provide evidence-based, individualized care for a wide range of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns across the lifespan. My clinical approach blends warmth, collaboration, and clinical precision to support meaningful growth.

My specialties include:

Neurodevelopmental Differences

I have extensive training in the assessment and treatment of individuals with:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
I specialize in working with adolescents, college students, and adults on the spectrum—especially those navigating emotional insight, identity development, or masking-related burnout.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
I provide therapy and coaching to support executive functioning, emotion regulation, and real-world skills for academic, professional, and daily life success. This includes practical strategies for attention, planning, time management, and emotional resilience.
Learning Disorders
I offer individual therapy tailored to help students with learning disorders overcome any accompanying stress, anxiety, and/or depression that may co-occur with academic difficulties.
Treatment for neurodevelopmental differences is always individualized, strengths-based, and affirming. I use a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to support self-awareness, emotional regulation, and executive functioning. Sessions are structured and skills-focused, often incorporating visual tools, step-by-step guidance, and concrete examples that match the client’s processing style. Whether working on emotional insight, masking fatigue, or real-world coping strategies, therapy offers a validating space to build confidence, clarity, and long-term resilience.

Anxiety, OCD, & Mood Disorders

I provide targeted, evidence-based therapy for individuals experiencing:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Support for chronic worry, overthinking, and difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Treatment includes thought restructuring, worry exposure, and mindfulness.
Social Anxiety Disorder: Therapy to address fear of judgment, avoidance of social situations, and negative self-evaluation. Emphasis is placed on behavioral experiments, self-compassion, and building assertiveness skills.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Evidence-based treatment using Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to reduce intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and reassurance-seeking behaviors. Specialized care for contamination fears, harm obsessions, perfectionism, and moral scrupulosity.
Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder: Skills to reduce anticipatory anxiety and regain a sense of safety in the body. Treatment includes interoceptive exposure, paced breathing, and grounding tools.
Phobias, including Agoraphobia and Fear of Flying: Gradual exposure therapy and coping tools to address specific fears that interfere with daily life or travel. Emphasis on increasing autonomy, managing anticipatory anxiety.
Perfectionism/High-Functioning Anxiety: Support for those who appear “put together” on the outside but feel overwhelmed, self-critical, or emotionally exhausted underneath. Focused work on values, self-worth, and internal validation.
Depression and Emotional Numbing: Therapy for individuals experiencing low mood, disconnection, and hopelessness. I use behavioral activation, cognitive restructuring, and validation-based approaches.
Persistent Irritability or Anger Dysregulation: For those who may experience mood instability or masking fatigue. We work on naming emotions, building distress tolerance, and reducing self-criticism.

Women's Mental Health

I am passionate about provide affirming therapy for women navigating the complex emotional terrain of modern life. Whether you're adjusting to motherhood, managing burnout, or carrying the weight of perfectionism and emotional labor, therapy can help you feel more grounded, connected, and empowered. My approach integrates evidence-based treatments like CBT, DBT, and mindfulness-based interventions with a deep respect for each woman’s lived experience. I specialize in supporting women through:

Perinatal and Postpartum Mental Health: Whether you're preparing for birth or adjusting to life with a new baby, I offer support for postpartum depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, identity shifts, and emotional overwhelm. Therapy provides a validating space to process change, reconnect with yourself, and build coping tools that support both you and your child.
PMDD, Hormonal Shifts, and Reproductive Transitions: Support for mood instability, irritability, and emotional dysregulation related to menstrual cycles, fertility journeys, or menopause. Therapy includes tracking tools, emotion regulation strategies, and psychoeducation to help you feel more in control and less alone.
High-Functioning Anxiety and Burnout: Many women appear “high achieving” or “in control” externally while feeling exhausted, anxious, or disconnected internally. We work together to understand the root of this experience—often shaped by perfectionism, people-pleasing, and invisible labor—and build boundaries, self-compassion, and internal validation.
Motherhood and Caregiving Challenges: Emotional support and practical strategies for navigating the mental load of caregiving, decision fatigue, and shifting roles within families and partnerships. Therapy is a place where your needs matter, too.
Career Stress, Identity, and Life Transitions: I support women facing crossroads—whether you’re changing careers, going back to school, or reevaluating your goals. Together, we explore what matters most to you, what stories you’ve inherited about success or worth, and how to move forward with confidence.
Trauma and Emotional Resilience: Many women carry the impact of relational trauma, emotional invalidation, or chronic stress. I offer trauma-informed care to support healing through boundaries, nervous system regulation, and reclaiming your voice.

Trauma, Stress, & Emotion Regulation

I offer trauma-informed therapy that blends compassionate care with evidence-based strategies to support healing at your pace. My work focuses on restoring safety, connection, and self-trust.

In trauma-focused therapy, we may work on:

Identifying and understanding triggers that cause emotional flooding, shut-down, or self-criticism.
Building emotional regulation tools to manage anxiety, irritability, or dissociation.
Reconnecting with your body after years of stress, masking, or burnout.
Reducing shame and learning how to self-validate in moments of distress or doubt.
Exploring the impact of past relationships on current patterns—especially in parenting, partnerships, or work environments.
Setting and maintaining boundaries without guilt.
Reclaiming your voice when it has felt silenced, dismissed, or minimized.
Grief and Loss (of people, roles, or imagined futures). Not all grief is about death. Therapy can help you make sense of ambiguous losses, evolving relationships, and letting go of the life you thought you “should” have had.

Relationship Challenges & Life Transitions

Navigating relationships and major life changes can be deeply rewarding—but also incredibly overwhelming. Whether you're facing a shift in your identity, reevaluating your role in relationships, or adjusting to a new stage of life, therapy offers a supportive space to explore what’s unfolding and how to move forward with clarity.

I work with clients experiencing:

Relationship Struggles: If you find yourself stuck in cycles of conflict, people-pleasing, withdrawal, or fear of abandonment, therapy can help you build insight and confidence in your communication. Together, we explore attachment patterns, boundaries, self-advocacy, and emotional safety, so you can show up in your relationships without losing yourself.
Romantic Breakups, Divorce, or Separation: Processing the end of a relationship can bring grief, identity confusion, and even shame. Therapy provides a nonjudgmental space to reflect and rebuild your sense of worth outside of a partnership.
Loneliness or Disconnection: Even if you're surrounded by people, you might feel deeply alone. I support clients in understanding their emotional needs, addressing barriers to connection (including neurodivergence or past trauma), and cultivating more authentic, reciprocal relationships.
Friendship Ruptures or Social Burnout: Many people, especially women and neurodivergent individuals, experience social exhaustion from trying to “perform” in friendships. Therapy can help you identify who feels safe, who drains your energy, and how to navigate social dynamics in a more sustainable way.
Career Shifts or Academic Transitions: Whether you're starting college, changing jobs, launching a new path, or stepping away from a role you’ve outgrown, change can stir up self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and fear of the unknown. We’ll work together to clarify your values, rebuild confidence, and set goals aligned with the life you want to live.
Emerging Adulthood & Quarter-Life Transitions: For young adults navigating independence, identity, and expectations, therapy can offer practical tools and emotional support for self-regulation, decision-making, and self-compassion.

Whether you're navigating internal overwhelm or external change, I’ll work with you to create a space that supports clarity, confidence, and growth—one step at a time.

DR. AMANDA NEAL

Licensed Psychologist

Compassionate Clinical Care