Amy Penley, LMFT
About me
With over 10 years of professional experience, I am a licensed marriage and family therapist in North Carolina and a certified dementia practitioner. My work has centered on supporting individuals through challenges such as stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma, abuse, motivation, self-esteem, and building confidence. I believe in creating a safe and open environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment; and I honor the courage it takes to seek a more fulfilling and happier life.
My approach is compassionate and person-centered, drawing on a wide range of evidence-based modalities to encourage growth, provide support, and facilitate lasting change. I have had the privilege of working with children, adolescents, adults, and older adults, tailoring care to meet each person’s unique needs. In addition to clinical counseling, I have extensive experience on an assertive community treatment team, where I supported individuals facing complex mental health challenges.
Currently, I serve as a clinician on a Health Education and Aging Resource Team where I provide education, consultation, and guidance to older adults and the dedicated individuals who care for them. I also supervise graduate practicum students in the Community Mental Health Counselor Program at a local university, helping to shape the next generation of mental health professionals.
At the heart of my work is a commitment to walk alongside my clients with empathy, respect, and encouragement as they take steps toward healing, growth, and lasting change.
Professional experience
Additional areas of focus: Coping with addictions, Family conflicts, Coping with grief and loss, Intimacy related issues, Sleeping disorders, Anger management, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, Abandonment, Aging and geriatric issues, Attachment issues, Avoidant personality, Blended family issues, Body image, Caregiver issues and stress, Co-morbidity, Codependency, Commitment issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with natural or human-caused disaster, Dependent personality, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Eating and food-related issues, Emptiness, Family of origin issues, Family problems, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Hearing impaired, Hospice and end-of-life counseling, Immigration issues, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Intellectual disability, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders, Multicultural concerns, Narcissism, Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Personality disorders, Phobias, Postpartum depression, Post-traumatic stress, Prejudice and discrimination, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-harm, Self-love, Sexual assault and abuse, Smoking / vaping cessation, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Trichotillomania, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
License information
NC LMFT 1357