Amanda Strider
REGISTERED CLINICAL COUNSELLOR | RCC
You don't need to try harder.
You need a different approach.
I'm Amanda, a Registered Clinical Counsellor who works with adults (especially women) navigating ADHD, burnout, chronic pain, and life transitions.
You might be here because something feels stuck. Maybe you can’t quite name what’s getting in the way, or you can but nothing you’ve tried has helped. It might look like knowing what you need to do but not being able to take action, or holding everything together at work only to fall apart when you get home. Sometimes it might feel like your brain & body are working against you or that you’re grieving something no one understands. Whatever brought you here, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
My Approach?
Curious, collaborative, and tailored to you.
I pay attention to the body, the mind, and the stories you carry. I also consider the big picture, because the systems and expectations around you are part of the equation too. As a neurodivergent therapist, I bring a perspective to this work that comes from lived experience, not just clinical training. You’re the expert in your life. Together, we find a path forward that honours who you are and what you need.
$150.00
INDIVIDUAL
RCC
# 21034
16+
AGES
ADHD
SPECIALIZATION
MAYBE YOU'RE HERE BECAUSE...
1
You’re an adult who’s been diagnosed with ADHD and you’re trying to figure out what that means for your life.
You might be newly diagnosed and wondering what that means for you. Or maybe you’ve known or suspected for a while, but haven’t
found the right support.
You might be experiencing:
-
Relief at finally having an answer alongside grief or anger about being undiagnosed
for so long
-
Executive function challenges (like difficulty with time management, planning, focus, or completing tasks) that don't
just go away with a diagnosis or medication.
-
Shifts in your relationships, self-esteem, and sense of identity as you start to separate who you are from who you've been trying to be
2
You’re burnt out, stretched thin, and exhausted from trying to be everything to everyone.
You’ve spent years being capable, accommodating, and available. The cost of keeping it up is getting harder to ignore, but doing less feels equally impossible.
You Might Be Experiencing:
-
Feeling guilty when you want to rest, say no, or do something for yourself
-
Resentment building toward the people & roles you're
pouring yourself into
-
Spending so long being who everyone else needs you to be that you’ve lost sight of your own needs and priorities.
3
You’re living with chronic pain or illness, or going through a major life transition.
Whether it’s a health condition impacting you in ways no one around you fully understands, or a life event that has changed everything, you’re trying to find your way through something no one prepared you for.
You Might Be Experiencing:
-
The complicated feelings that come with navigating a life that looks different from what you had planned
-
The exhaustion that comes with managing something invisible, and the energy it takes to appear “ok” when explaining it feels like too much.
-
Untangling your identity from roles and routines when your health, relationships, or circumstances have changed.
WHO I WORK WITH
Adults (especially women) with ADHD who are trying to make sense of how their brain works and what that means for their life.
Adults experiencing burnout, perfectionism, or people-pleasing who are exhausted from holding it all together and losing themselves in the process.
Adults living with chronic pain or illness, or navigating a major life transition, and the ripple effects on identity, relationships, & how they move through the world.
WHAT WE'LL WORK ON TOGETHER:
Getting Curious
About How Your Brain Works
-
Understanding how you think, process, and respond to the world around you
-
Exploring the gap between knowing what you want to do and being able to do it
-
Discovering systems and strategies that work for you
Unpacking The
Stories You're Carrying
-
Exploring the stories that have shaped how you see yourself and where they came from
-
Separating who you are from the labels and meanings that have been placed on you
-
Reclaiming ownership of how you define yourself and your experience
Looking At The
Bigger Picture
-
How the systems and expectations around you are shaping your experience
-
Understanding what’s a personal struggle and what’s a reasonable response to an unreasonable situation
-
Recognizing that the problem isn’t always inside you
Reaffirming The
Values That Guide Us
-
Uncovering what truly matters to you and how that connects to building the life you want
-
Understanding your boundaries through the lens of what you’re protecting, not what you’re refusing
-
Creating purpose and direction when everything feels equally urgent or equally unimportant
Honouring The
Signals Of The Body
-
Noticing the ways your body
communicates with you
-
Bridging the gap between what your body knows and what your mind understands
-
Honouring what your nervous system has done for you while helping it learn when
things have changed
Connecting &
Identifying Your Emotions
-
Exploring how your emotions show up in your body, your relationships, and your decisions
-
Finding the words to name what you’re feeling
-
Learning how to sit with difficult feelings without being hijacked by them
THINGS I WON'T DO WHEN YOU WORK WITH ME:
I won’t treat you like a
problem to be fixed.
I won’t force you to look
on the bright side or bypass what you’re going through.
I won’t ignore the impact
of the world around you.
I won’t tell you what your priorities should be.
I won't rush you.
We'll work at your pace.
My Approach?
WE WORK WITH WHAT SHOWS UP
My approach is nervous system-informed, integrative, and tailored to you. I draw from somatic, narrative, and acceptance-based frameworks, and adapt based on what you need and what we discover together. For some people the work is about understanding their brain and building systems and strategies that support it. For others it's about examining the stories and expectations that have shaped how they see themselves. Often it's both, plus whatever else walks through the door with you on a given day
My therapy style is warm and direct. We’ll sit with what’s hard but also celebrate what’s working. I’ll meet you with compassion and understanding and I’ll challenge you when it’s helpful. I bring humour, curiosity, and my whole personality into the room. My hope is that by showing up authentically, I create a space where you feel empowered to do the same.
Somatic/Body-Based Approaches
Understanding that stress, emotions, and experience show up in the body, not just the mind. We learn to notice those physical signals and work with them.
Parts Work (IFS-informed)
Getting curious about the different parts of you that show up in different situations, & helping them work together.
Attachment Theory
Understanding how early relationships shaped how you connect, trust, and respond to the people in your life now.
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma doesn't just affect your thoughts. It shapes how the brain processes information, how the body responds to stress, & how safe you feel in relationships.
ADHD-Certified Clinical Provider
Specialized training in understanding ADHD across the lifespan, including how it impacts executive function, emotional regulation, relationships, & sense of self.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Learning to be with difficult thoughts & feelings instead of fighting them, while moving towards what matters to you.
Narrative Therapy
Exploring the stories you've been carrying, where they came from, and whether they still fit.
Anti-Oppressive Practice
Recognizing how power, privilege, and oppression affect mental health, while creating space where all identities and experiences are honoured and valued.
EDUCATION & TRAININGS
DEGREES & EDUCATION
(MA) – Counselling Psychology
Yorkville University 2024
Bachelor of Arts (BA) – Kinesiology
University of Western Ontario – 2004
SPECIALIZED TRAININGS
Narrative Therapy - 1 & 2 Foundations
ACT for ADHD
PROFFESIONAL REGISTRATIONS
Registered Clinical Counsellor
(RCC #21034)
ADHD Certified Clinical Services (ADHD-CCSP)
HOW I GOT HERE:
My path to counselling wasn’t direct. It was a natural evolution of my interest in the body and mind. Dance has always been part of my life, and from a young age it showed me the deep connection between movement, the body, and the mind. That interest led me to study kinesiology & eventually train as a yoga teacher.
I spent over a decade as a kinesiologist supporting people navigating serious injury, illness, chronic pain, and PTSD. This work exposed me to the incredible impact of nervous system-based approaches and how attending to both the body and the mind changed people’s experience.
I was fortunate to be part of some amazing interdisciplinary teams & the more I worked alongside counsellors and psychologists, the more I wanted to be on that side of the conversation.