MEET amber

Amber reed

(she/her)

Counseling Intern

Supervised by Ilyse Kennedy, LMFT-S, LPC-S

I believe we all have an innate healing wisdom within us, and access to this wisdom requires deep attunement and a loving, present awareness. When trauma is present, we may need to borrow these qualities from compassionate others.

Schedule a free consult with amber

who i am

Welcome! My name is Amber (she/her), and I’m glad you’re here.

As a counseling intern and longtime therapy recipient, I come to this work with deep reverence for the healing process and the healing capacity each person brings into the therapy room. My own unfolding journey as a biracial (white + indigenous), neurodivergent, queer woman with lived experience of complex trauma is what draws me to this work and deeply informs my practice. While I have intersecting identities that have been sources of injustice in my life, I also strive to acknowledge and be mindful of the many privileges I hold. Integrating social justice into my practice as a counselor is a passion of mine, and I welcome these conversations into the therapy room.

I’m a highly sensitive introvert who needs lots of time alone in nature to recharge. In my free time, you can find me with my little dog, Sage, or with my husband, outside somewhere among tall trees and riverbanks—writing songs on some random instrument or savoring something delicious like homemade chai.

how i work

I believe we all have an innate healing wisdom within us, and access to this wisdom requires deep attunement and a loving, present awareness. When trauma is present, we may need to borrow these qualities from compassionate others. These compassionate others can include safe friends, family, a partner, a pet, a therapist, you name it. Pete Walker calls this the “reparenting committee” in his book Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. What was not provided by our caretakers growing up can now be provided by the Self and other safe people in our life.

My approach to counseling is rooted in our collective humanness. I am not perfect nor have I arrived on my healing journey. I am still in process and I aim to meet you where you are on your journey. The key to healing is that we don’t go it alone. Ram Dass once said, “we are all just walking each other home” and I really love this as a metaphor for therapy.

My areas of interest include Internal Family Systems (IFS), Interpersonal Neurobiology, Somatic Experiencing, and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy. I’m honored to be partnering with the Moving Parts team to continue deepening my understanding and application of these healing modalities. I’ve experienced the gentle, transformative power of each of these approaches in my own healing journey, and I look forward to offering that same trauma-informed support to others.

who i work with

I have a special place in my heart for neurodivergent individuals—especially women who were diagnosed or self-diagnosed later in life—as well as survivors of complex trauma and those exploring aspects of identity, including race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and spirituality.

I’m especially passionate about supporting individuals navigating complex trauma with histories of emotional neglect, low self-esteem, shame, anxiety, and depression, who are longing to feel more connected to themselves, others, and the world around them. I also enjoy walking alongside those who are exploring spirituality after leaving religion and those interested in integrating psychedelic-assisted therapy into their healing process. Since I am an intern, I will not be able to offer psychedelic assisted therapy to clients but I am open to helping you integrate psychedelic experiences you may have had into our work together.

Wherever you are on your journey, I’m here to hold gentle space for your healing and growth. I would be honored to support you.