Meet Amy Szczechowicz, LCMHC, MLADC
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Master Alcohol and Drug Counselor in the state of New Hampshire. I received my Master’s Degree from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA in 2000. I have been working in the mental health field for over 30 years in various settings, including residential, emergency services, inpatient and outpatient. I spent over 20 years working at a Community Mental Health Center until I decided to go into private practice and joined Middle Path Counseling. I have been with Middle Path Counseling since 2020.
With my understanding of the impact that physical health has on mental health, I discovered Zumba Fitness classes many years ago. It became my therapy and brought me so much joy. I wanted to bring this positivity and joy to others. I became an ACE Group Fitness Instructor. I teach Zumba Group Fitness Classes 3 days a week. Always eager to learn and grow, I obtained my ACE Personal Trainer certification. I would love to incorporate this into my life eventually somehow if someone can help me figure out how to make the day 36 hours long instead of 24, lol.
When not working you can find me relaxing at home with my husband and 3 fur babies - Maine Coon cats, Alexis, Cindy and Jesse. I enjoy many crafts and hobbies, you name it, I love it, and wish I had the time and energy to fit them all in daily. To name a few: Legos, puzzles, drawing, crossword puzzles, board games, cards games/cribbage, words with friends, wordle, painting, reading fiction and therapeutic books, listening to music, dancing, practicing Zumba routines, singing . . .
Why did you become a therapist?
Since taking my first undergrad psychology class (abnormal psychology), I knew the psychology field was the direction I wanted to go. I worked in the mental health field since graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at Salem State College in 1994. I obtained my Master’s degree in 2000 and worked as a Director in Residential Services and did per diem inpatient work for years. I loved running the residential programs and helping others, but felt like there was something missing, something more I could do to help others. I wanted to do more of the inner work with people – every time I dropped a client off to their therapist, I was envious and wanted to be that person who they could trust, the one to help them delve deep, gain insight and make the changes they wanted to make. This led me to becoming an individual therapist which I have been since 2003.
What do you consider your specialties?
I work with adult individuals. I have always been drawn to working with individuals with anxiety, trauma, addiction, and depression, probably due to my lived experiences with them in various ways. I am trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and am a Certified CBT-I (Cognitive Therapy for Insomnia) provider.
What is it like to sit in your office with you? Tell us a bit about your approach to therapy.
I am a good listener. I am here to be your sounding board, an unbiased, non-judgmental listener of your thoughts and feelings. You will find I don’t do most of the talking in session, unless I am reflecting back to you, exploring your thoughts and emotions or teaching you a skill. I try to make the atmosphere warm and welcoming. I tend to be very down to earth and like to use a little sense of humor when appropriate to help decrease potential anxiety. I understand how that can feel. What is important to me is being validating, having a non-judgmental stance, providing support, compassion and meeting you where you are at in the stage of change. I believe in everyone’s ability to have the answer within, you may just need a sounding board or a little direction of focus/clarity of your values or goals. I draw from CBT, CPT, DBT, solution-focused and mindfulness-based approaches and take a very individualized approach to each person. A priority for me is to ensure you feel heard, at ease, and trust in sharing your thoughts and feelings. I am a very private person myself, so I understand how taking that giant step to do therapy can feel vulnerable and scary.
What is your favorite part about being a therapist?
I love providing that safe space where people can share their inner thoughts and feelings. I love being that trusting soundboard for someone. I love helping others increase insight and knowledge into themselves, their emotions, thoughts and behaviors and witnessing the “AHA” moments. Many children never had caregivers who were able to teach them and help them learn about their emotions and how to manage or regulate them. I love being able to help people explore and learn about their emotions, gain better control over them, be more interpersonally effective, less reactive and more responsive, and learn ways to tolerate the many upsets of life. It is very gratifying to see people end treatment with the skills, knowledge and confidence in their abilities to move forward in life despite any challenges they may face. I believe in people’s ability to find happiness, freedom and peace and to change what they want to change.
If you are interested in booking an appointment with Amy you can click here or go to the "Book an Appointment" tab on the website!