About AMANDA

Amanda Press, PsyD

Registered Psychological Associate

The Center for Connection

I am a registered psychological associate who has worked with children, adolescents, and young adults with autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship issues for over two decades. I believe that every person can achieve a mind that is healthy, strong, resilient, and kind. We all experience various forms of suffering over the course of our lives and in those challenging moments, we can learn to use a tool kit of internal resources to achieve more emotional regulation, neural integration, self-compassion, and healthy and fulfilling relationships. I have extensive experience working with autistic girls with mental health conditions and believe in the importance of providing the right diagnosis and intervention. Through my background of working as a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, I understand how social problems routinely become emotional problems in childhood and then later in adolescence, clinical mental health diagnoses. My approach to therapy integrates a compassion-focused lens with evidence-based research on the methods used in interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) to achieve collaborative strength-based interventions. I believe in a strong therapeutic relationship that is grounded in compassion and safety.

I earned my B.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from City University in London, England, a masters in applied psychology from Liverpool University, and then completed my psychology doctorate at California Southern University. Since then, I have trained extensively with the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and with Paul Gilbert OBE, the founder of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT). My personal life experience of the challenges of parenting two sons has led to developing parenting courses to help parents recognize self-compassion as an inner strength that enables us to be more fully human, validate our needs, and make necessary changes with kindness so we can show up more fully for our children and our families.  I am very excited about publishing my first academic paper in collaboration with researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a new self-compassion course for young adults.  Additionally, I am trained and experienced in administering the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI) for diagnosing an autism spectrum condition.  

I have traveled and worked extensively in countries such as South Africa, and Canada, and for many years was the founder of a private clinical practice for children in England where I had the privilege of serving my community to create bespoke packages of care for children and adolescents with language, communication, social-emotional and mental health needs. I was also able to support educators in specialist and mainstream schools to implement treatment plans while collaborating with the NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.  I am a Southern California newbie and am looking forward to indulging my newfound passion for hiking.

I am currently under the supervision of Dr. Cathy Schaefer, Licenced Clinical Psychologist, PSY 30365

PSB 94026692