CLINICAL SPOTLIGHT ON AMY ANDERSON, GIL INSTITUTE TEAM CLINICIAN

‍We have started this monthly spotlight to highlight some of our therapists, their interest areas, their goals, and their basic values. We hope you enjoy reading about them.

Dr. Gil: Amy, I’m wondering what your earliest memory is of wanting to become a therapist?  Was this something you always knew, or did something happen that contributed to your desire to be of help to others?
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Amy: I was in therapy as a teen-ager and it changed my life! I wish I had it earlier. My mother was very much in favor of therapy and she too was in therapy due to several traumas in her life. We developed a much stronger, fun relationship during therapy, which helped us think and feel in new ways.

I also ran a shelter for homeless women in Washington DC for a year in the 1980’s and it became obvious how chronic mental illness touched every aspect of women’s lives: emotional, social, intellectual, and physical.

Dr. Gil:  What specifically led you to obtain the licensure you got?  Was there something in particular that you believed that your licensure could allow you to do?
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Amy: I am a Licensed Professional Counselor. By the time I decided that I wanted to be a therapist, I already had loans from a masters of arts and religion with a focus on ethics from Yale Divinity School. I chose to be an LPC because I wanted to focus on becoming a therapist.

Dr. Gil: At what point did you develop an interest in trauma work?  What led to that interest, and how did you go about preparing yourself to become trauma-informed?
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Amy: I attended a two-day workshop with Bessel van der Kolk focusing on trauma and realized that trauma truly impacts our lives in negative (and some positive) ways. After that, I was part of a monthly childhood trauma supervision group led by Dr. Gil.

Dr. Gil: What service are you providing that you are excited to provide to children and families?

Amy: I love to do play therapy and sandtray with my clients. I have been doing Child-centered Play Therapy for the past 14 years. This approach allows children to move at their own pace, process their trauma, and discover their own strengths. I view my role to provide unconditional witnessing to their experiences and take note of the positive changes they are capable of making with appropriate support.

Dr. Gil: Say a little about your interest in working with expressive therapies, (eg, sandtray, play and art therapies) and why you believe it’s important to do?
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Amy: Sand therapy is a safe way for children and adults to recreate the traumas they have experienced and try out new perspectives on their strengths and vulnerability.

Dr. Gil: How long have you been at Gil Institute?  And please say a few words about your experience working with like-minded colleagues?

‍Amy: I have been at the Gil Institute since 2021, after 22 years with Fairfax County Mental Health services. Therapy sessions can be very intense. I am very fortunate to be in this practice because my colleagues are supportive and knowledgeable. I get insights from them that I wouldn’t think of by myself!

Dr. Gil: What are you looking forward to in terms of professional growth in the next few years?
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Amy: I enjoy doing supervision with younger therapists seeking licensure or play therapy credentials. Amy L. Anderson, LPC