Inspiring Conversations with Amy Di Francia of Amy Di Francia Mental Health

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Di Francia

Hi Amy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I currently work as a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT 105646) in private practice, clinical supervisor, and mental health educator. However, I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a therapist! In fact, in college I was studying to be a nurse. However, my course changed during a medical mission trip to rural Fiji where I got the opportunity to spend the summer working in a health clinic, assisting with procedures, and generally getting a taste for what it would be like to work in the medical field. This trip was incredibly formative because it showed me that although I’m capable of handling the nitty gritty work of nursing (which is such a noble profession, by the way!) I was much more passionate about caring for the patient’s mental health while I was there. I found myself much more engaged by providing a listening ear and helping the patients work through their anxieties regarding the procedures than actually assisting with the procedures. So when I returned to school the next semester I took a psychology class, fell in love, and changed my major to Psychology!

From there I completed my masters in marriage and family therapy and worked toward getting my licensure as a therapist in community mental health clinics and group practices. Once licensed, I was able to establish my own private practice and from there to expand the resources I offer beyond therapy to mental health courses as well. Creating mental health resources like courses and workbooks is one way that I can make mental health resources more accessible, which is something I’m passionate about. Therapy is a wonderful resource, but is also not always accessible or affordable to everyone. Creating high-quality, psychologically sound resources that are also affordable is one way that I feel I can give back to the community and help people find a little peace in the midst of the difficulty of life.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The hardest part of my journey to where I am today was definitely finding the courage to go out on my own! It was a really difficult decision to leave the group private practice where I worked for years to start my own private practice and mental health business. Not only because it was scary taking that leap of faith to start my own business, but also because I genuinely loved the team of people I got to work with and was sad to leave them. But sometimes you have to decide between a situation that’s comfortable for you, and a situation that will force you to grow. I knew I was at a time in my life and career where I was ready to challenge myself to grow, and to be able to intentionally focus on using my unique gifts and talents to help people in a way that I was passionate about. Ultimately, the two main reasons that pushed me towards taking the risk to start my own business were the desire for more flexibility in my schedule (to allow me more time to spend with my family while I am raising young children), and the desire to utilize more of my creativity in my work. Once I got clear on my goals, it made it easier to be brave and trust that I have something good to offer the world through my work.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Amy Di Francia Mental Health?
I specialize in helping people work through anxiety, and all the ways it can show up and take over our lives! I like to joke that anxiety is a specialty that chose me – As I was starting out in my career, I started to notice that a large percentage of my caseload was being filled with clients wanting help working through some pretty intense anxiety. The more I pondered it, the more I came to the conclusion that people struggling with high anxiety may find themselves naturally drawn to my calming, gentle, and laid-back demeanor in therapy. Since this was a population that kept showing up on my caseload (and a problem that I was also personally familiar with) I decided to get more advanced training on working with anxiety, including earning certificates in Attachment-Focused EMDR and the neuroscience behind treating anxiety. Through the trainings I completed, I realized that I’m actually really passionate about learning how anxiety operates in the brain on a biological level, and then communicating that knowledge to my clients in a way that is easily understandable and can lead to tangible change in their lives. So although (like most therapists) I work with a wide variety of clients and struggles, anxiety is definitely my speciality and passion.

More recently in my career, when I expanded into the world of course creation, I combined my knowledge of healing anxiety with another community that I am intricately familiar with and passionate about helping, which is anxious Christians. Having grown up in a faith community, I have seen first-hand how Christianity and mental health can sometimes be at odds with one another. I am passionate about bridging the gap between the two and helping Christians learn that it’s ok to seek therapy, and that there are many valuable mental health tools that can be used for healing. That’s why I decided to put my creative efforts toward creating an online course specifically for helping Christians work through anxiety. Throughout the 11 lessons of the self-paced course, I guide Christians on how to combine their faith with the science behind anxiety and how to regulate your nervous system. This is one of the things that sets my business apart – my passion for helping Christians not be afraid to integrate faith with science and psychology. It’s also the part of my work that I am currently the most excited about! I love creating mental health resources that help people develop into the healthiest version of themselves, and I believe it’s a more affordable, accessible way that people can access help for their mental health.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Intentionally deciding who I can best serve as a therapist and mental health educator (another way of saying this is being intentional about choosing my “niche.”) I learned early on in my work as a therapist that I have a natural affinity for helping people work through really tough anxiety. My naturally calm presence and introverted manner are really well suited for being a therapist and holding space for others. So specializing as an anxiety therapist has helped me be clear about who I can best serve in my private practice and with the resources I create. This doesn’t mean that I exclusively work with Christians – therapy is an equal opportunity space and I consider it a deep privilege to work with anyone that finds their way into my office! It just means that being really clear about who I can help (anyone struggling with anxiety, and more specifically Christians struggling with anxiety who may be hesitant to reach out for help) has contributed to the success of my business.

Also, just being a really hard worker! Working in private practice means that you need to hustle, but luckily I’ve found that I don’t mind putting in the work when I love what I do!

Pricing:

• Individual Therapy – $175
• Couples Therapy – $200
• Online Anxiety Course – $47

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amydifrancia.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amydifranciamentalhealth/

Image Credits
Love Bethany Photography