Begin your wellness journey with ease — get 50% off your first session and see if we’re the right match for you.

Begin your wellness journey with ease — get 50% off your first session and see if we’re the right match for you.

Portrait of Rached Alame

Meet Amanda

Amanda Payne

Amanda Payne

Amanda Payne

Canadian Certified Counsellor

Availability:

In-Person, Virtual

Languages

English

Amanda offers a compassionate, client-centred space for people seeking support with life transitions, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.

🌿 Training & Certifications

Trauma-Informed Therapy

Strengths-Based Therapy

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

Somatic-Informed Interventions

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)

Attachment-Informed Therapy

Psychoeducation

Acceptance-Based Approaches

Emotional Regulation Skills

Family Counselling

Parent Coaching

🌿 Areas of Expertise

🌿 Areas of Expertise

Trauma & Complex Trauma

Self-Harm

Anxiety & Stress

Suicidal Ideation

Depression

Victims of Crime

Grief & Loss

Sexual Violence & Exploitation

Relationship Challenges

Domestic & Intimate Partner Violence

Family Counselling

Women's Mental Health

Parenting Support

Burnout & Compassion Fatigue

Emotional Regulation

Adolescents (12+)

Self-Esteem & Self-Worth

Resilience & Personal Growth

School-Related Challenges

Mindfulness & Stress Management

Life Transitions

Attachment & Relationship Patterns

🌿 My Approach

🌿 My Approach

I provide trauma-informed counselling for adolescents, adults, and families navigating trauma, betrayal trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship challenges, emotional regulation, and life's many transitions.

Drawing on over 10 years of counselling experience, primarily as a school counsellor, I understand the unique emotional, social, behavioural, and academic challenges that individuals and families face. I strive to create a safe, compassionate, and non-judgmental space where clients feel understood, supported, and empowered throughout their healing journey.

My approach integrates trauma-informed, attachment-informed, and strengths-based therapy, drawing from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), mindfulness-based interventions, and somatic-informed practices. Grounded in neuroscience and emotional regulation, I believe healing begins with safety, connection, and self-compassion.

I have completed extensive professional training in trauma treatment, including Trauma Treatment Certification: Latest Advances and Proven Techniques to Resolve Deeply Held Trauma, the NICABM Treating Trauma Master Series, Core beliefs of Never Feeling Good Enough, and attended multiple trauma conferences, and received advanced training in trauma, self-harm, domestic violence, sexual violence, crisis intervention, suicide intervention, and adolescent mental health.

Together, we will work toward rebuilding self-trust, strengthening emotional resilience, improving relationships, and finding acceptance for life's challenges. I hope that you leave therapy feeling empowered, connected to your values, and equipped with the confidence and skills to move forward with greater clarity and purpose.

🌿 My Philosophy

🌿 My Philosophy

I believe healing begins with safety, grows through connection, and is strengthened through repair—both in our relationships with others and, perhaps most importantly, in our relationship with ourselves.

As human beings, we are wired for connection. While relationships can be a source of pain, they are also where healing can occur. Trauma affects both the mind and the body, and when we experience safety, the nervous system has an opportunity to settle, creating the conditions for healing and growth. Through mindfulness, we can learn to observe our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations with greater awareness and compassion, creating space to respond rather than react.

Conflict and communication breakdowns are an inevitable part of every relationship. Healthy relationships are not defined by the absence of conflict but by the willingness and ability to repair after moments of disconnection. Together, we can strengthen communication, rebuild trust in ourselves and others, and develop healthier ways of relating to ourselves and those around us.

Healing is not about waiting for life to be different. More often, it begins by accepting life as it is in this moment. Acceptance does not mean approval, giving up, or settling for circumstances we cannot change. Instead, it allows us to respond with greater clarity, intention, and self-compassion while making choices that reflect our values and the life we want to create.

I believe clients are the experts on their own lives. My role is to provide knowledge, perspective, and support while helping them reconnect with their strengths, align with their values, and move from surviving to thriving.

🌿 My Why

🌿 My Why

I became a counsellor because I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to heal, grow, and move forward with hope.

For more than a decade, I have had the privilege of supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families through trauma, grief, crisis, and life's many transitions. Working primarily as a school counsellor has allowed me to witness the extraordinary resilience and courage of children, adolescents, and families as they navigate some of life's most difficult moments. It has also reinforced my belief that growth is fostered through compassionate relationships, genuine understanding, and the courage to face challenges together.

Every person carries a unique story, shaped by both adversity and strength. Time and again, I have witnessed people rebuild trust after profound hurt, reconnect with their inner strengths, and discover hope in places they never imagined possible. Their resilience continually inspires me and reminds me of the remarkable capacity we all have for healing and personal growth.

It is both an honour and a privilege to be entrusted with another person's story. I hope that every client leaves therapy with a deeper understanding of themselves, greater confidence in their relationships, and a renewed sense that healing is possible through safety, connection, and repair.

🌿 Get to Know Amanda

A good therapeutic fit includes more than professional expertise. Here are a few of the things that make Amanda, Amanda.

Family & Pets?

I’m definitely a horse person. I love horseback riding—there’s something incredibly freeing about being on a horse.

Favourite Hobbies?

Yoga and the gym are a big part of my life, and I love travelling, white sandy beaches, mountain hikes, and a good cup of Earl Grey tea.

Comfort Watch?

I’m drawn to psychological thrillers and dramas—anything with complex characters and a story that keeps me thinking.

Favourite Thing to do in Edmonton?

I love discovering Edmonton’s speakeasies, independent coffee shops, and farmers’ markets.

Favourite Book?

 Historical fiction is my favourite genre. I love books that bring another time and place to life.