I can help you to break free from unhelpful patterns and racing thoughts that can keep you stuck, so that you will feel more in control of your life.
Is anxiety, fear and panic a major problem in your life?
Do you avoid things that cause anxiety?
Do you have anxiety about having anxiety?
Do you think there must be somet hing seriously wrong with you?
I am here to tell you it doesn’t have to be so difficult.
Together we can take steps towards dropping the struggle with anxiety and panic.
I will introduce you to simple and effective skills that can lessen the impact anxiety & panic has over your life. Freeing up space for you to focus your energies on the people and experiences that matter most to you.
Do you worry even when there is little or no reason to worry?
Are you seen as a ‘worrier’ by others, and often told to ‘just stop worrying’?
Does constant worry get in the way of sleep?
Does it leave you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed?
I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be this way.
Together we can work towards putting an end to the endless worry loops, and free up space for thinking about what really matters to you, and actually have the energy to do some of the things that matter.
Have you been hit hard by a life crisis, bereavement, loss of a job or relationship?
Perhaps you are self-medicating with alcohol, drugs or porn?
Maybe you are at a crossroads in your life, or you feel stuck and you know that something needs to change, but you just don’t know how to change it.
Allow me help you work out what it is you need, and what you want from life.
I will teach you simple and effective skills to make space for the feelings and overwhelm that can arise from life’s difficulties, from not knowing, and not feeling in control.
Once you feel more in control, you will be able to make moves towards the life you deserve.
Do you feel like what happened to you is still happening to you, even though it is in the past?
Do you find yourself constantly on guard, waiting for something bad to happen?
Do memories, feelings or sensations suddenly take you back to places you don’t want to be?
Do you feel overwhelmed, disconnected, numb or unable to fully relax and feel safe?
Perhaps you tell yourself you should be over it by now, but your mind and body seem to have other ideas.
You are not broken, and there is nothing wrong with you for still being affected by what happened.
When we experience something overwhelming, our mind and body can continue to respond as though the danger is still there. Sometimes the past gets carried into the present, affecting our relationships, confidence, sense of safety and ability to enjoy life.
I use EMDR and the Rewind Trauma Technique, alongside a compassionate, trauma-informed approach, to help you process difficult experiences and reduce their emotional and physical impact.
Hi, I’m Amanda Lampard-Drew
I am a Senior Accredited Therapist with 17+ years experience.
I am fortunate to live within the five valleys of the beautiful town Stroud in Gloucestershire, with my partner, brilliant neurodivergent teenager and Cavapoo Sonny.
I offer effective, empowering and evidence-based therapy, combining professional knowledge with a compassionate, honest and common-sense approach. My aim is not simply to help you understand why you feel the way you do, but to support you in developing practical skills and new ways of responding to life’s challenges, so that you can begin to move forward.
I have experience working with a huge variety of difficulties, including trauma, anxiety, phobias, panic, worry, burnout, PTSD, overwhelm, stress, depression, bereavement, workplace issues and significant life transitions. I also have a particular interest in trauma, anxiety, chronic pain and medically unexplained or persistent physical symptoms.
I have gained this experience whilst working in: NHS Talking Therapies service, university counselling service, drugs and alcohol agency, workplace counselling programmes, and as a training manager within a large counselling charity.
A Whole-Person, Trauma-Informed Approach
I am passionate about providing trauma-informed care and working with the whole person, rather than simply focusing on a diagnosis or a set of symptoms.
Sometimes we know exactly where our difficulties have come from. At other times, we may simply know that something doesn’t feel right. You may want to focus on what is happening for you now, perhaps anxiety, stress, panic, depression or overwhelm, or you may want to explore the experiences that have contributed to these difficulties.
There is no single ‘right’ way to approach therapy. Together, we can decide what feels most helpful for you.
Trauma is not always one dramatic event. I understand trauma as an experience that overwhelms our ability to cope at the time, given the internal and external resources available to us.
This can include what are sometimes described as’Big T’ traumas, such as road traffic accidents, sexual assault, threats to life or other overwhelming experiences. However, trauma can also develop through more subtle or cumulative experiences, sometimes referred to as ‘Little T’ traumas, such as bullying, repeated criticism, relationship difficulties, loss, rejection, neglect or ongoing exposure to harmful patterns of behaviour.
These experiences can affect how we see ourselves, relate to others and respond to the world, sometimes long after the original events have passed.
Flexible, Collaborative and Evidence-Based Therapy
I have always been someone who wants to help people in the most effective way possible. This has led me to train in a range of therapeutic approaches with strong evidence bases.
I initially completed an 18-month postgraduate CBT qualification in 2009, followed by further specialist training. Over the years, I have continued to develop my skills and have trained in a range of approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), EMDR, Polyvagal Theory, and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), alongside other trauma-informed, mindfulness and body-based approaches.
The therapy I offer is flexible and adapted to each person individually.
Every person brings their own history, personality, strengths, challenges and hopes for the future. I am skilled at weaving together different therapeutic approaches to create a flexible, collaborative and individualised way of working.
I work in a way that respects and affirms neurodivergent experiences, LGBTQIA+ identities and diverse cultural backgrounds. You do not need to fit into a particular idea of how you “should” think, feel or live your life.
My Personal Experience
Alongside my professional accreditations and qualifications, I know from my own experience what it’s like to feel stuck, hopeless, and trapped in worry and panic loops, to feel overwhelmed and out of control.
In my twenties, I struggled with anxiety, low self-worth and depression – with support and psychological therapy I was able to, first stop self-medicating with alcohol (I have been abstinent for 20+ years), and then begin to heal.
In my thirties, after years of debilitating chronic back pain, I discovered the strong emerging evidence-base on how stress and psychological factors can often play a significant role in chronic pain conditions.
So as well as talk therapy, I encourage clients to also consider where they may be holding psychological distress in their bodies, to enable a more effective processing of suffering and distress.
By coming through my difficulties, and experiencing my own therapeutic journey, I am able to bring deeper empathy and effectiveness to the work I do with others. I have been able to create a meaningful and fulfilling life for myself, and I want that for you too because no matter how impossible it feels right now, change is possible and you don’t have to face it alone.
What You Can Expect From Therapy
I aim to provide a warm, safe and supportive space where you can feel comfortable being yourself and exploring difficult experiences at your own pace.
At the same time, therapy does not have to mean endlessly talking about the past without knowing what to do differently. Where appropriate, I will help you develop practical tools and skills that you can take into your everyday life.
My hope is that you leave sessions not only feeling heard and understood, but also feeling empowered, energised and motivated to make changes that matter to you.
Whether this is your first experience of therapy or your tenth, we can work together to develop a different relationship with difficult thoughts, emotions, memories and images.
If you wish to explore and process experiences from your past, I can support you with trauma regardless of whether it happened recently or many years ago. Equally, if you would prefer to focus on the difficulties you are experiencing in your life right now, we can work with those too.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before starting therapy. You may know exactly what has brought you here, or you may simply have a sense that you want things to feel different.
Moving Towards the Life You Want
You don’t have to wait for anxiety, difficult thoughts or emotional pain to completely disappear before you can begin living your life.
With the right support, you can learn to navigate challenges with greater confidence, respond differently to difficult experiences and take meaningful steps towards the life you want to live.
My role is to work alongside you, helping you understand what is keeping you stuck, recognise your strengths and develop the skills and confidence to move forward.
You are more than your past experiences, your diagnosis or the difficulties you are experiencing right now. Therapy can be a space to understand where you have been but also to begin moving towards where you want to go.
If this resonates with you please reach out for an initial chat and then we can take that first step together.
I’m a Senior Accredited Therapist, with over 17 years of experience and thousands of hours spent supporting people as they move toward lives filled with greater meaning, value, potential, and fulfilment.
What qualifies me to really help—perhaps where others have struggled?
Yes, I have the training, qualifications, and professional recognition. But more than that, I bring something deeply personal: I’ve lived through challenges myself.
I know what it’s like to feel stuck, hopeless, and overwhelmed—trapped in a cycle of constant worry, panic, and emotional exhaustion. I know what it’s like to feel completely out of control.
In my late teens and twenties, I struggled with substance misuse.
What started as fun and escapism slowly became a haphazard way to self-medicate—until it stopped working, and only made things worse. After I stopped using substances, the depression, anxiety, and panic really took hold. Therapy became my salvation. I’ve now been completely substance free for over two decades.
During this time, I’ve explored many different types of therapy. With each experience, I’ve learned more about myself—and more about how to live a life aligned with who I truly want to be.
By understanding the therapeutic process from the inside out, I’ve been able to bring deeper empathy and effectiveness to the work I do with others.
I’ve also lived with years of debilitating chronic back pain. Eventually, I discovered it was a mind-body disorder. Today, I am pain-free—because once again, it was psychotherapy that helped me to heal.
In addition to my personal and professional experience, I have lived experience of parenting a brilliant neurodivergent teenager.
I know how heavy life can feel, and I know how important it is to be seen and supported.
All of these experiences—some challenging and painful—have shaped me into the therapist I am today.
They’ve given me not only insight, but compassion, clarity, and a fierce passion for helping others break free from suffering and move towards more meaningful lives.
If I can overcome chronic pain, anxiety disorders, depression, and substance misuse—things I once believed I’d never escape, you can too! Allow me to help you believe in that possibility for yourself.
Change is possible!
And you don’t have to face it alone.
Providing personalized psychological support to guide you through life’s challenges.
As an integrative therapist, I draw from a range of evidence-based therapeutic models, tailoring each session to meet the unique needs of the person in front of me. Rather than adhering rigidly to one method or approach, I combine elements from different approaches including: EMDR, Person-centred, Cognitive-Behavioural (CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy, Polyvagal Theory and somatic therapies, whilst also being trauma informed. I recognise the impact of past experiences and aim to create a space where safety, choice and empowerment are central to our work together, allowing me to respond to your evolving needs with creativity, care, and clinical depth – supporting meaningful and sustainable change.
At the heart of my work is a humanistic philosophy, which means I see you not as a diagnosis or a set of problems to be fixed, but as a whole person with inherent worth, wisdom, and potential. I believe that healing happens through connection, and that the therapeutic relationship itself can be a powerful space for growth, self-discovery, and emotional safety.
I strive to create a compassionate, accepting, and collaborative space where you feel genuinely heard, respected and seen. I honour your autonomy and your pace. Together, we can explore not only what’s painful or stuck, but also what’s strong, hopeful, and ready to emerge within you.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a powerful, evidence-based approach that I use to help people build a more flexible and compassionate relationship with their inner experiences. You might think of it as a more evolved form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)—one that blends mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based action to support you in creating a life that feels meaningful and rewarding.
If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or weighed down by painful thoughts or emotions, I want you to know that there’s another way forward. Rather than trying to fight or avoid your struggles, ACT offers a different path—one where we learn to meet what’s hard with kindness and curiosity.
Together, we can explore how to make space for your inner experiences without letting them hold you back. I will walk alongside you as you reconnect with what truly matters to you—your values, your passions, the people and things that give your life meaning. From there, I’ll support you in taking small, meaningful steps in that direction, even when things feel difficult.
ACT isn’t about getting rid of pain or achieving some perfect version of happiness. It’s about helping you live more fully, more freely, and more in alignment with the person you want to be. I’ll be here to support you every step of the way as you build a life that feels rich, connected, and authentic—whatever challenges may come.
Four Blinks version of Flash Trauma Therapy was developed by Thomas Zimmerman. It is a trauma therapy technique that involves rapid eye blinks to help clients process traumatic memories.
It’s gentle and quick, allowing clients to access and process traumatic memories in a way that minimises distress and rapidly moves individual, distressing memories from traumatic memory storage, into more normal memory storage.
I offer EMDR & Rewind Trauma Therapy, for trauma processing. These are safe, effective, and can be non-intrusive treatments designed to reduce or eliminate the distressing symptoms of trauma.
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based therapy that can help you recover from the impact of distressing or traumatic experiences. Sometimes, difficult experiences can become ‘stuck’, leaving us feeling as though the past is still affecting us in the present. EMDR helps the brain to process these experiences in a new way, reducing the emotional intensity and helping you develop a greater sense of safety, understanding and freedom. Although EMDR is widely known for treating trauma and PTSD, it can also help with anxiety, panic, difficult memories and other experiences that continue to affect your life. EMDR does not require you to talk in detail about everything that has happened, and therapy is always paced carefully around your individual needs.
What is Rewind Therapy?
Rewind is an internationally recognized specialised technique that helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they no longer trigger intense emotional or physical reactions. It allows the traumatic event to be ‘filed away’ in the brain’s long-term memory as something that happened in the past, so it no longer intrudes into the present.
Unlike many trauma therapies, you do not need to share the details of the event with me. This is why it’s known as closure without disclosure. This unique aspect makes it especially helpful for individuals who feel unable or unwilling to talk about what happened. You will only be required to share some information on how you are currently impacted and possibly some context so that we can be sure it is the right therapy for you.
~Denis Waitle
In the initial appointment we can discuss what’s holding you back and what you would like to get out of therapy.
