Amy Anderson, LCSW

12/13/2025

For many navigating trauma healing, burnout, neurodivergence or complex family dynamics, the inner child often feels especially loud right now.

That part of you that learned to be small, to over-function, to earn love by anticipating everyone else’s needs…may need a little extra care.

These affirmations are healing truths and gentle reminders for your inner child. Save this post for when you need a reminder. 🤍

12/10/2025

Burnout. Perfectionism. Pressure to perform, at work and at home.

This week’s blog explores what happens when high-achieving couples start to feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or emotionally numb... and what couples therapy can do to help.

When the stress of long hours, unspoken expectations, and emotional exhaustion spills over into your relationship, it doesn’t mean your relationship is failing, it means you’re human. ✨

In this post, I talk about:
- How work stress and perfectionism impact connection
- Why burnout can shut down intimacy and communication
- What high-achieving couples can actually do to reconnect
- The best therapy approaches (EFT, Gottman, IFS, ACT) to rebuild safety and spark

If you and your partner are successful on paper but silently struggling at home, you’re not alone — and there is a better way forward.

12/09/2025

Gift-giving can feel like a full-time executive functioning task.

The pressure to pick the perfect present, stay on top of budgets, manage sensory overload in stores, and show up for multiple Secret Santas or White Elephants can be completely overwhelming.

You are not difficult for finding this hard.

Gift anxiety doesn’t make you unkind or ungrateful; it makes you aware, sensitive, and deeply thoughtful. And sometimes? That thoughtfulness gets tangled in perfectionism or shutdown.

This season, here’s your reminder:
💝 Thoughtful doesn’t have to mean expensive
💝 You don’t have to participate in every gift exchange
💝 A simple, heartfelt gesture is enough

You deserve grace. You deserve rest. And you deserve support navigating these moments.

If you're seeking trauma-informed or neurodivergent-affirming therapy in California or Pennsylvania, I offer a warm place to land.

12/05/2025

When life gets full, and let’s be honest, it always does this time of year, connection can quietly slip to the bottom of the list.

But deep, secure relationships are built in the small moments.

💛 A quick hand squeeze during errands
💬 A 30-second check-in before bed
☕ Making coffee for your partner without being asked
🎶 Sharing a song that makes you think of them

These gestures might seem tiny, but they remind your nervous system: we’re still in this together.

If you and your partner are craving deeper connection during a busy season, trauma-informed couples therapy can help you slow down, attune to each other’s needs, and build meaningful rituals of closeness, even when life is chaotic.

I offer couples therapy in San Diego, CA and virtually across California & Pennsylvania, with a focus on attachment, emotional safety, and sustainable intimacy.

Let’s work together to rebuild connection that lasts.

12/03/2025

ADHD in relationships doesn’t mean you’re doomed. It means your nervous system, your communication, and your connection might need more support, not more shame.

In this week’s blog, I’m breaking down how ADHD symptoms, like emotional dysregulation, executive dysfunction, or attention challenges, can quietly impact intimacy, trust, and day-to-day functioning in partnerships.

As a trauma-informed couples therapist in San Diego, CA, I work with neurodiverse couples every week who are navigating the emotional burnout, communication breakdowns, and intimacy struggles that often come with ADHD.

12/01/2025

Hello, December ☃️

Before the full calendars, crowded rooms, and pressure to hold it all together…
Pause.

Check in with your inner child.

What do they need this season?
✨ A slower pace?
✨ A little extra reassurance?
✨ Permission to not do it all perfectly?

This month invites so much. But you don’t have to abandon the softest parts of you to get through it.

At Amy Anderson Therapy, I work with individuals and couples to build nervous system safety, deepen emotional resilience, and tend to the younger parts of you that still long to feel seen, heard, and held.

💛 If you’re looking for trauma-informed therapy in San Diego or anywhere in California or Pennsylvania, I’d love to support you.

11/28/2025

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving 💛

To the ones navigating grief while still showing up.

To the neurodivergent folks managing sensory overload in crowded kitchens and loud dining rooms.

To those parenting between two homes, coordinating schedules, and trying to keep everyone feeling seen.

Thanksgiving looks different for everyone. However today looks for you, you are worthy of gentleness, rest, and real connection. 💛

📬 For reflections, resources, and end-of-year support, head to amyandersontherapy.com to sign up for the newsletter.

11/26/2025

Whether you’re parenting, teaching, or supporting a child with ADHD, this blog is for you.
In this post, I dive into what actually works based on the most current research (2024–2025), including:

✔️ Behavioral parent training (BPT)
✔️ Antecedent-based strategies (think: prepping before meltdowns happen)
✔️ Consistency and clear expectations
✔️ Why reward systems outperform harsh consequences
✔️ How schools and caregivers can collaborate for more success

If you’ve ever wondered “Am I doing this right?”, you’re not alone. We’re not looking for perfection. We’re aiming for understanding, practical support, and grace for both kids and their grown-ups.

📍Read now by clicking the link in my bio.

📬 Want help building a plan tailored to your child? Reach out anytime.

11/24/2025

Cooking, cleaning, hosting, caregiving; it’s a lot. Add sensory overwhelm, executive functioning fatigue, and the emotional pressure to “hold it all together,” and burnout can creep in fast.

This post is a gentle reminder that your needs matter too. Whether you're doing it all or just doing your best, your pace is enough.

✨ You're allowed to:
• Take shortcuts
• Ask for help
• Set limits
• Leave the dishes
• Take a quiet moment to reset

For personalized burnout support this season, I’m here for you; before, during, and after the holidays.

11/21/2025

Two households. One season. So many logistics, expectations, and emotions.

From school events to family gatherings, co-parenting during the holidays can feel like a full-time job. And underneath the schedules and drop-offs? Big feelings, for kids and grown-ups.

This post is for the parents navigating shared time with grace, flexibility, and the occasional deep breath. The ones making space for joy and structure. The ones figuring it out, one calendar invite at a time.

Therapy can help co-parents set clear expectations, reduce tension, and prioritize what matters most: connection, stability, and a holiday season that supports your child’s emotional world.

11/19/2025

More couples are exploring psychedelic-assisted healing, but what actually creates long-term change isn’t the medicine itself. It’s what happens afterward.

In my newest blog, I talk about the power of integration therapy, how we take the insights from plant medicine journeys and turn them into deeper empathy, safer connection, and lasting transformation.

Inside, I share:
✨ Why integration matters more than the trip itself
✨ How to know if you and your partner are ready
✨ What it means to create safety, clarity, and intention before any experience
✨ The role of IFS, EMDR, and other trauma-informed tools in this work

💛 Read the full blog at www.amyandersontherapy.com