Services Offered
Couples Counselling
Many couples struggle because of difficulty regulating their emotions. I help partners better understand one another by teaching them how to recognize what they want/need and then express themselves accurately while also really listening, accepting and understanding what their partner is saying to them. Our work also looks at ways to become more mindful of the relationship itself; how to balance one’s own needs with those of your partner and the relationship overall. Once a couple has learned a new cycle of improved communication and understanding, then we move onto collaborative problem solving. This kind of couples work often leads to a reduction in stress and conflict and an increase in loving care and connection.
Parent Coaching and Family Therapy
Some clients prefer to work as parents separate from their adolescent or adult child and in other cases it makes more sense to have both the parent(s) and the child(ren) together in family therapy sessions. Either way, the aim is to help parents and their children understand how they are impacting each other and then learn Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills that empower everyone to have more effective interactions. This includes learning how to express oneself accurately, as well as how to listen, accept, and understand each other. Once people can do this, conflict is reduced, collaborative problem solving becomes possible and people feel more connected.
Examples of issues that I help clients with using either parent coaching and/or family therapy include:
Families where one (or more) people are struggling with mental health challenges.
When an adolescent or young adult child is struggling to “launch” into adulthood.
Families seeking to mend a rupture or estrangement.
Reducing conflict and increasing understanding within a family, especially when one family member feels different and/or misunderstood.
Resolving conflicts between different generations within the same family.
Improving family communication around major milestone events such as weddings, cottage summers, holiday celebrations.
Helping families navigate interpersonal issues that can come up in the context of working together in a family business.
Parent Skills Group
This 8-week group (virtual) is intended for parents whose teen or adult children struggle with emotional dysregulation and related problems such as self harm, substance use, angry outbursts or suicidality. Groups are 1.5 hours long and include both skills development and an opportunity to discuss participants’ real-life challenges in a group setting. We aim to help parents better manage their stress and burden, and to help them build, or rebuild, loving and effective relationships with their children. These groups will be limited to 15 participants to enhance learning and practice.
Dates for next Parent Skills Group (Weekly):
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
8:30 am to 10 am Eastern Standard Time. Virtual only.
Group Facilitators:
Amanda Young & Dr. Alan Fruzzetti
Parent Skills Group Co-Facilitator
Dr. Alan Fruzzetti
Dr. Alan Fruzzetti is an internationally recognized DBT researcher, teacher, and supervisor. He has worked at Harvard Medical School and the University of Nevada and is currently helping to develop a National DBT Program in Ireland. He has authored more than 125 research and clinical papers and has lectured and trained professionals and the public in more than twenty-five countries on Dialectical Behavior Therapy and DBT with parents, couples and families.
Skills Group Curriculum:
Understanding how emotional dysregulation affects your interactions with your child.
Understanding how chronic emotion dysregulation in children (including suicidality, self-harm, substance use, etc.) can create stress and trauma-related reactions in parents
Strategies and skills to reduce stress and trauma-related problems, and to reduce fear
Skills to manage difficult emotions (shame and guilt, sadness/grief, anger, hopelessness and other emotions)
How to repair and reactivate your relationship with your child
How to inhibit invalidating responses and start to bring curiosity and love to your relationship with your child (rather than negative reactions and judgments)
Executive Coaching
I bring my experience from my first career in business (working for Microsoft in Asia, Australia and the U.S.) to support my executive clients dealing with challenges in their professional and personal lives. I also draw upon my training in behavioural psychology to help clients facilitate the kind of changes they want to make in their lives whether that is growing as a professional and/or as a person. My clients are professionals who seek measurable outcomes from their investment of time, energy, and resources into the work. So do I!
Consultation and Supervision for DBT Therapists
I have specialized training in using DBT in the context of couples and families and am passionate about empowering more therapists to help parents, couples and families. The clinical research shows that when parents and families are involved in treatment, the outcomes for the struggling loved one are improved.
If you would like to consult on a particular case and/or receive regular supervision in working with couples and families, I would be happy to connect with you. I can be reached at amandayoungmsw@gmail.com.
Free Initial Phone Consultation
I offer a 15 minute phone call for prospective clients to determine if I am the best fit for them. You are also welcome to ask any questions you may have.