
Hello
I’m Dr. Amy. I provide therapeutic coaching for people navigating toxic stress, burnout, grief, trauma recovery, life transitions, chronic pain, addiction recovery, and nervous system overwhelm. Together, we will work to regulate your nervous system and help you find your way back to yourself.
My approach is warm, honest, grounded, and evidence-informed. I am here to help you better understand your nervous system, build skills for emotional resilience, and reconnect with the parts of yourself that may have been buried under stress, survival, or overwhelm.
My path into school counseling, psychology, and therapeutic coaching began more than 30 years ago through my own experiences with trauma, addiction, recovery, and healing. Those personal experiences shaped the way I understand stress, resilience, and the deep need for safe, supportive connection.
In 2014, my work and life were profoundly impacted by a traumatic school crisis. As I supported students, families, colleagues, and myself through the aftermath, I became deeply focused on the neuroscience of trauma, toxic stress, grief, and nervous system regulation.
Since then, I have continued to develop a science-based, compassionate approach to helping people understand how stress and trauma affect the brain and body. My work integrates evidence-based writing practices, somatic awareness, breathwork, nervous system education, and practical coaching strategies to help clients reconnect with themselves and move forward with greater clarity.
I bring both lived experience and a strong scientific-practitioner mindset to this work. I believe healing is supported through connection, self-awareness, emotional skill-building, and practical tools that help people feel more grounded in everyday life.
Through therapeutic coaching, I partner with clients who are ready to reclaim their creative, energetic, and authentic selves. I support people as they navigate grief and loss, toxic stress, burnout, conflict, boundaries, self-compassion, gratitude, addiction recovery, chronic pain, and personal goal-setting.
Reclaim Your Authentic Self
Through therapeutic coaching, I partner with clients who are ready to reclaim their creative, energetic, and authentic selves. I support people as they navigate:
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Grief, loss, toxic stress, and burnout
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Boundaries, conflict, self-compassion, and gratitude
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Addiction recovery, chronic pain, and personal goal-setting
Ready to see if Insula Somatic work is right for you? Let's connect.
Education, Experience & Certifications

My experience in helping others includes working as a:
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School Counselor & Psychologist beginning in 1996
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A graduate-level Counselor Educator since 1997 at Seattle Pacific University, Oregon State University-Cascades Campus & University of Southern California-Rossier School of Education
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A systems-level consultant and coach in Central Oregon with Culture of Care since 2019
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Traumatic Brain Injury Coach 2007-2019
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Keynote, National, State & Regional Presenter/Speaker
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Author & Editor
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TEDEd Speaker & Podcast Host
Degrees, Licenses & Certifications include:
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Doctorate of Counselor Education & Supervision, 2000
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Master in Education, School Counseling 1996
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Bachelor of Psychology, 1993
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Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist
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Compassion Fatigue Specialist
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Grief Recovery Practitioner
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Certified Happy Teacher Revolution Practitioner
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Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Specialist
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Sarnos & Sachs Mind-Body Practitioner
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Certified Somatic Therapist
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Breathwork Practitioner






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