Daily Inspiration: Meet Amy Duckwall

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Duckwall

Hi Amy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I first learned what Psychology is when I was just a freshman in college (during my high school years, psychology wasn’t offered as an elective the way it is now to students). Literally during my Psychology 101 introductory course, it felt like I was struck by a lightning bolt–it was that intense when I realized I could combine my fascination with why people do the things they do and my insatiable desire to keep learning throughout my life.

I went on to major in Psychology and double-minored in Spanish and Sociology, then went straight into a Master’s degree in general Psychology at American University in Washington, D.C. Near the end of that two-year period, I needed a change of pace and so decided to move across the country to Northern California (the boyfriend I had at the time may have had something to do with that decision and location, but given that we’re nearing 20 years of marriage I feel like it was a solid choice!) and take a break from the field. I nannied for about 3 years and realized along the way that I wasn’t done learning about people, behavior, emotions, and everything else I knew Psychology could offer me, so I applied for and was accepted into a PsyD program-a Doctorate in Psychology.

My PsyD was completed in 2010, with a concentration in Child & Family Therapy. I got licensed as a psychologist for the first time in 2012 in North Carolina, then moved with my family to Texas and re-licensed in Texas in 2016, where I lived and worked for 9 years, first in college counseling at St. Edward’s University and then at the Austin Center for Therapy & Assessment. At the latter, I completed a postdoctoral respecialization in neuropsychology and became a neuropsychologist on staff there. In 2022, I left ACTA to start my private practice, also relocating to San Clemente, CA, where I relicensed a third time as a clinical psychologist.

Currently, I have a private practice seeing clients who struggle with perfectionism or anxiety, major life transitions, and/or traumatic experiences. I work part-time remotely for ACTA conducting neuropsychological testing, and I am a contractor for a company called Empower Mental Health, conducting compensation and pension exams for military veterans who struggle with PTSD and other mental health issues. My passion is integrating trauma work with my deep knowledge and intense respect for neuropsychology, in an effort to help normalize and validate the life experiences each of my clients has struggled with and learned to work through and make sense of. Nobody is perfect, nobody is truly broken, and each of us has a life story worth hearing and honoring.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road by any means! However, I’d say that I continue to learn many valuable things about all aspects of the mental health profession and the field of psychology along the way. One professional challenge is that whenever any licensed psychologist has to move across state lines, there’s a requirement to complete the new state’s licensure process all over again. When you’ve been licensed for many, many years there’s a shortcut process (or so I’m told) but otherwise each state has different expectations of how we prove we know what we know to do this job. The 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic crisis brought about PSY PACT, an option for many states that allows interstate therapy services to be offered, but it’s not in all 50 states.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in helping adults who struggle with anxiety, trauma, and relationship difficulties use their newfound strengths and skills to get reconnected with loved ones and with themselves. My EMDR-trained collaborative and informed approach creates a safe space for clients to find themselves again with confidence as they learn to prioritize healing and self-compassion. I’m very proud of my training in EMDR, and am currently working to become EMDR-certified, which is the next level of detailed experience and practice in this therapy model.

I emphasize a collaborative, informed therapy approach with all of my clients, in each of the jobs I perform. I may use humor and my own experiences when appropriate to highlight and empathize with an individual’s challenges, but the focus is always on the client. We set goals together and talk about what they want to focus on each time. We work on connecting the client authentically with themselves and then with others, to reduce distress and burnout in all their life roles. My approach is tailored to each client and focuses on building a trusting and safe therapeutic relationship in order to tackle treatment goals with humor, sensitivity, compassion, and confidence. A client’s past informs their current challenges, but I work with clients to use what we learn together to put them on a path toward a more balanced and empowered future.

As a clinical psychologist with specialty training in neuropsychological testing and EMDR therapy for trauma, I’ve worked with clients of all ages across multiple states and with many different therapy needs. I’m dual-licensed and can work in-person in California or online in both California and Texas.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
In my field, collaboration and consultation are critical for helping our clients and maintaining our expertise, while also avoiding burnout. No psychologist should practice on their own fully; it’s written into our ethics code that we need to consult and that we should endeavor to maintain a current knowledge of the practice of psychology, which means attending conferences or continuing education seminars, and talking with other clinicians when we aren’t expert in a given issue or concern one of our clients may have.

Pricing:

• $275 intake session
• $225 individual 50-minute therapy session
• $450 for 2-hour intensive therapy

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dramyduckwall.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy_duckwall_psyd/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093686332544

Image Credits
Image credit to BellaSky photography for the first Personal Photo only. I can’t recall who took the other professional one of me, but I took the photos of the office setting and the sunset.