- CBT methods
- Client-centered work
- Motivational interviewing
About Amanda
Amanda Halawa-Mahdi is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 23 years of practice. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, family conflict, self-esteem concerns, depression, and coaching goals. She also focuses on guilt and shame, body image, caregiver stress, and workplace issues.
She frames clients as the experts on their own stories and uses that as a starting point. Sessions are practical and goal-oriented. Amanda draws on methods that help change behavior, look at patterns, and build clearer decision-making skills.
Her background includes work with teens involved in the juvenile justice system and with people facing a wide range of behavioral challenges. That work emphasized behavior change techniques and accountability alongside coaching skills. She trained as a Professional Coach through the Co-Active Training Institute and uses those coaching tools when appropriate.
Amanda also brings knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion into her practice. She pays attention to personal and systemic bias and how those forces affect feelings like guilt, shame, and isolation. Her clinical toolkit includes client-centered approaches, cognitive behavioral strategies, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic ideas, and solution-focused techniques.
In sessions she helps people identify what they want to change, notice the thoughts and patterns that hold them back, and try small, practical steps. She supports clients who want clearer values, stronger decision making, and fewer days dominated by shame or self-criticism.
How Amanda’s approaches translate to online work
Amanda draws from client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and motivational interviewing in her work. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and helping people clarify what matters to them so they can name goals and priorities. CBT looks at the connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions and helps people test and change unhelpful thinking patterns. Motivational interviewing supports readiness for change by exploring ambivalence and strengthening motivation through short, practical steps.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Amanda will discuss which methods fit a person's needs, goals, and preferences and adjust the plan over time. She treats this as a collaborative process where the client’s priorities guide the choices about techniques and pacing.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. These practical benefits often help people maintain consistency while they try out new ways of thinking and behaving.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
23+ years
Listed in
Illinois
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of issues does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, family conflict, self-esteem, depression, coaching goals, and related concerns such as guilt and shame and body image.
How would she approach feelings of shame or guilt?
She uses a mix of client-centered listening and cognitive behavioral techniques to notice thought patterns and reduce unhelpful self-judgment. Motivational interviewing helps clarify values and next steps.
What is her professional background?
Amanda has 23 years of experience, including work with teens in the juvenile justice system and leadership coaching through Co-Active Training Institute coursework.
What credentials and location apply to her practice?
She is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Illinois.
Can sessions be held in other languages or for international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not accepting international clients.
Which session formats does she offer?
Confirm current session options before booking, as the biography does not specify exact formats.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What is the first step to begin working together?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.