Amanda Bertolo

#Experience

Amanda has been providing individual counselling for over a decade in several settings, including hospitals, addiction treatment centres, and mental health organizations. She has worked with a diverse demographic, including teens, adults, and the elderly. Amanda has additional training in cognitive behavioural therapy, trauma focused therapy, and addiction treatment. Amanda started her career working at addiction treatment centres with women and teens in Ottawa, Ontario. She soon after completed an internship at the Centre for Sexual Abuse and Childhood Trauma, working with clients presenting with abuse and trauma. Amanda moved to Toronto, Ontario after completing her master’s degree and worked as a crisis clinician with clients and their families. Amanda continued her career working as a concurrent disorders clinician at Halton ADAPT as a community addiction liaison to the emergency departments attending to patients in the emergency room presenting with addiction and mental health concerns. Amanda’s experience also consists of working as a concurrent disorder specialist and a mental health counsellor at the Canadian Mental Health Association, with a Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinic, providing individual and group psychotherapy. Amanda’s most recent work has been in a hospital setting at Trillium Health Partners where she provides individual counselling.

Amanda has been trained and has worked with numerous modalities of therapy including but not limited to: CBT, DBT, Psychodynamic, emotion-focused, Attachment Frameworks, and Motivational Interviewing (MI). When she is not working, Amanda enjoys cooking, travelling and spending time with her two children.

#Therapeutic Style

Amanda’s work is driven from a belief that we are all in need of connection. When we do not have a true or healthy connection with others, this can lead to anxiety, depression or addiction and many other concerns. Even if we are living busy lives, that does not mean that we feel connected; we may in fact experience feelings of lonliness. Not only can therapy be a space where true connection occurs, it can also allow you to recognize this need and form those connections with others. You may start to feel heard, understood and begin develop insight to start living a life of healing and fulfillment. Amanda is also very interested in helping her clients discover how their past experiences shape the world they live in today. By exploring recurring patterns, behaviours and memories, coping skills will be developed to regain control and better manage your thoughts and emotions.

Amanda’s comforting approach has allowed clients to open up and trust the process that they engage in with her. Amanda’s therapy style includes being empathetic, warm, and non-judgmental.