Amanda Gonzalez, LAC Candidate
Supervised by Alicia Day, LPC, ACS
I help children, parents, couples, and families who feel overwhelmed by grief, trauma, or ongoing relational stress rebuild emotional safety, improve communication, and restore connection within their relationships.
Many of the families I work with are not struggling because they “aren’t trying hard enough,” but because they are carrying experiences that are difficult to process alone—losses that have changed the emotional climate of the home, trauma that continues to shape reactions and relationships, or long-standing patterns of conflict and disconnection that leave everyone feeling unheard. In many cases, grief is present in the background of family life, even when it has not been fully spoken about.
I also have a strong and growing clinical focus on grief and loss work. I have found that grief does not only affect individuals—it reshapes entire family systems. Parents and children may grieve differently, communicate differently, and cope in ways that unintentionally create distance. Therapy can provide a space to slow those dynamics down, make sense of them, and begin rebuilding connection in a more supported way.
I provide telehealth therapy across New Jersey for families seeking to reduce conflict, process grief or trauma, and create a more emotionally stable and connected home environment.
My Areas of Focus
Emotional and behavioral concerns in children
Adjustment to major life transitions
Emotional overwhelm & chronic stress
Family conflict & emotional disconnection
Couples communication & relational repair
Parenting stress & caregiver overwhelm
Trauma and domestic violence recovery
Grief & loss
(recent, complicated, or long-standing)
My Approach
I take a trauma-informed, systems-based, and relational approach to therapy.
My work integrates:
Family Systems Therapy
Trauma-informed care
Attachment-based therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Strengths-based and solution-focused strategies
With over 12 years of experience in child and family services, I bring a deep understanding of how trauma, grief, and chronic stress affect both individual development and family dynamics over time.
I also draw from experience working in multidisciplinary, family-centered systems of care, which has strengthened my ability to support families navigating complex emotional, behavioral, and environmental stressors.
Where appropriate, I may also incorporate grounding and reflective practices to support emotional regulation and stabilization.
What It’s Like to Work with Me
My approach is compassionate, structured, and grounded in family systems work. I create a space where each person feels heard and respected, while also helping the family move toward meaningful and sustainable change.
In our work together, we focus on how emotions, behaviors, and stress responses interact within the family system—not in isolation. When one person is struggling, the entire system is impacted. Therapy helps slow down these patterns so families can better understand one another, respond with more intention, and begin to shift long-standing cycles of reactivity, withdrawal, or conflict.
Sessions may include individual work with parents, child-focused support, joint family sessions, or grief and trauma processing depending on what best supports the system as a whole. The goal is not just symptom reduction, but deeper reconnection and emotional safety within the family.
Services are offered in both English and Spanish to ensure care is accessible, culturally responsive, and inclusive.
Credentials & Details
Licensed Associate Counselor Candidate (LAC Candidate)
Supervised by Alicia Day, LPC, ACS
Graduate training in progress (Liberty University)
Bilingual: Spanish and English
Self-Pay Rate: $40 per session
Insurance (effective after licensure – August 2026):
Aetna | AmeriHealth | Blue Cross Blue Shield | Horizon NJ Health Medicaid | Cigna
I would be honored to begin your journey toward healing and reconnection by supporting you and your family through grief, trauma, emotional strain, and difficult life experiences
