About Me
Amanda Press, PsyD (she/her)
I’m a licensed psychologist with 25 years of experience supporting neurodivergent children, teens, and families. Today, I primarily work with neurodivergent adults especially women and parents who are navigating burnout, depression, anxiety, trauma, and the complex questions that often come with late diagnosis and life transitions.
My approach is collaborative and relational, grounded in deep respect for each person’s nervous system, life story, and internal experience. I draw from a variety of trauma-focused approaches, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), Polyvagal Theory, and Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB). My 2023 published research on self-compassion and resilience in emerging adulthood informs how I support clients in building inner resources and relational attunement. I’ve trained with the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, and led mindful self-compassion groups, which integrate the wisdom of eastern traditions with insights from modern neuroscience. This can help you feel more at home in your body and develop the tools that truly fit your life.
Before becoming a psychologist, I trained as a speech and language therapist in London, graduating from City University in 2001. Since then, I’ve worked across the UK, Canada, and the U.S. gaining a broad, cross-cultural perspective on neurodivergence throughout the lifespan.
I also hold a position at the Center for Connection in Pasadena, where I provide therapy and assessment for neurodivergent children, teens, and their families.
Through my own experiences raising two young adult sons as a solo parent and navigating life’s transitions, I bring a deep, lived understanding of the challenges neurodivergent parents face in balancing their needs with the demands of family life. I offer a grounded, compassionate space to explore your story, reconnect with what matters to you, and build clarity and momentum in ways that feel meaningful and manageable.
What it’s like to work with me
As a therapist, I offer a space of warmth, safety, and attunement where you can feel truly seen, heard, and supported. I believe healing happens in relationships that respect your pace, your story, and your nervous system and that make room for the protective parts of you that have had to work hard to cope.
I take time to get to know you, asking thoughtful questions early on so I can understand what you’ve been through, what’s helped or hurt in previous therapy, and how I can best meet your needs now. I want therapy to be a place where you feel empowered, emotionally safe, and in control of your own healing.
I practice from a neuroaffirming, gender-affirming, and culturally responsive lens. I understand how systems of oppression, social stigma, and missed or late diagnoses can shape how we see ourselves and how we’ve been seen. For neurodivergent clients, especially those who have masked for years, therapy can be a space to gently uncover, reconnect with the parts of you that had to adapt to survive, and explore your identity without judgment. I honor the complexity of your lived experience and am committed to creating a space that welcomes all parts of who you are.
