Author Archives: Tracy Laramie

I have been in practice for over 30 years treating individuals and couples. While I specialize in working with those struggling with depression and anxiety, I also enjoy working with couples who are experiencing conflict or want to enhance their relationship. My Ph.D. is from Loyola University-Chicago with a heavy emphasis on theory, especially psychodynamic, narrative, and family systems. However, I am very eclectic in my approach and can use behavioral and cognitive approaches as well as a depth psychology approach that seeks to heal underlying conflicts or ambivalences that are fueled by unresolved feelings and needs.

I have worked in a variety of outpatient mental health and treatment programs, including St. Anthony’s Hyland Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and I was the director of the FlexCare Treatment Program. In addition to maintaining my practice at West County Psychological Associates, I was an Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University before retiring in 2019 to devote more time to my practice.

Hi, I’m Amy Fereday, a Licensed Professional Counselor, and I would be honored to work with you. I was drawn to this field out of a genuine passion for helping people live more fulfilling, connected, and rewarding lives. If you are feeling stuck, navigating a difficult season, or noticing that the strategies you’ve relied on are no longer serving you, I am here to help. In our work together, I deeply value the insight you bring from your own lived experience. Therapy with me is a partnership, we will identify what’s getting in the way, explore new perspectives, and develop powerful tools to cope effectively, regulate emotions, and build meaningful relationships.

I have over 10 years of experience supporting clients facing anxiety, depression, substance abuse, life transitions, relationship challenges, and trauma. I enjoy working with children, teens, adults of all ages, couples, and families.  I earned my Master of Arts in Counseling from Missouri Baptist University–St. Louis in 2015. I am a Certified Trauma-Informed Therapist and am trained in EMDR trauma therapy. My professional experience consists of providing therapy in a variety of settings including intensive outpatient programs, inpatient treatment, group work, community settings, and private practice. These diverse environments have shaped my holistic, clientcentered approach and strengthened my belief that healing is always possible with the right support.

As a former teacher, principal, and assistant professor, I work with schools who would like to strengthen their school environments in a variety of areas. I provide educational consulting services and professional development for principals and faculty, and workshops for students and parents. Workshops and professional development are tailored to meet the needs of individual schools. My training includes cultural competence, parenting cafes, and suicide prevention, to name a few. I am presently working on combining my previous educational experience with the world of social work.

I earned my Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Missouri. I specialize in working with couples on relationship concerns, as well as sexual addiction, infidelity and sex therapy. In addition, I work with clients experiencing eating disorders, issues post-bariatric surgery, depression and anxiety. My philosophy involves welcoming clients into a comfortable therapeutic alliance infused with respect, trust, compassion, and a bit of humor. The therapeutic techniques I use include cognitive behavioral therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), motivational interviewing, and family systems therapy. My passions center around collaborating with clients by supporting them in gaining more adaptive and healthier coping skills to pursue greater happiness and control over their lives.

I am a licensed clinical social worker with over a decade of experience serving children and families.  My positions in this field have included being a therapist, care coordinator, and case reviewer/advocate. I have significant experience working with adults and teens dealing with trauma, depression, anxiety, life transitions, and other concerns.  I also have a passion for working with children, teens, and families impacted by the child welfare system, guardianship, or adoption.

I view my clients as complete people beyond their symptoms and enjoy working together with clients and their support systems to find creative ways to support wellbeing across multiple areas of life. To do this, I use evidence-based techniques including cognitive-behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy. I look forward to working with you to reach your goals.

In my 34 years of service as an educator, I have worked as a teacher, instructional leader, and principal. During that time of working collaboratively with my teaching peers, school leaders and community to effectively teach students, I have learned that leadership and teaching excellence is created among people with a shared vision for continuous improvement.

My work has been built on the belief that the school functions as a community and the growth of its members are fundamental. I specialize in helping school leaders create a purposeful culture whose focus is engaging educators in collaborative learning. Those in the learning community; teachers, staff, school leaders, parents and community must learn together to ensure success for all students. My experience in creating a collaborative learning community has equipped me to provide leadership training for principals, staffs, and parents. I am especially interested in providing professional development in the areas of:

• Culture creation for staff continuous learning, teamwork and problem solving;
• Professional development embedded within the school day;
• Parent training as they seek to partner with the school and advocate for their child’s education

I have eight years of experience providing mental health services in the school setting which includes providing counseling and crisis intervention services to students and their families. I have also worked in several community mental health settings providing individual and group therapy to adolescents and adults. I enjoy working with adolescents and adults who are experiencing depression, anxiety, life transitions, adjustment to disability, and stressful life events or trauma. I am a strengths-based, client-centered clinician who utilizes a variety of therapeutic techniques to meet the needs of each client. I am passionate about collaborating with clients and providing a safe, non-judgmental space in therapy for clients to feel comfortable being themselves so they can discover their own strengths and passions. In addition to my work with clients and in schools, I have also taught Internship and Advanced Internship as an adjunct faculty member for Maryville’s Rehabilitation Counseling graduate program where I earned the Adjunct Faculty of the Year award in May 2021

I provide individual psychotherapy for adults and older adults, using an integrated approach. I draw from multiple traditions and frameworks, depending on the unique needs and concerns of each client over time. I have been practicing for over twenty-five years, working with people from varied backgrounds over the entire lifespan. My hope is that you feel seen and understood, challenged and supported, as you grow, change and heal. I want to provide a safe and nonjudgemental space for you to unburden yourself and find peace. My work with you is a privilege.

I have over 25 years’ experience in working with children, adolescents, and families in a variety of settings. Providing private therapeutic services to children and adolescents is a passion for me. Watching individuals learn coping skills and strategies and then apply them to their everyday life is something I look forward seeing within my clients. I currently work with clients on a variety of issues with a focus on anxiety and school-related issues.

Another area of focus for me is working directly as a school consultant in private, parochial and public school settings. I find particular satisfaction in helping students embrace the power within themselves to work through social or academic difficulties and succeed. I enjoy providing professional development to teachers and staff on a variety of topics, such as behavior management, anxiety in the classroom, ADHD education and management, as well as many other school related topics. I am constantly learning new approaches to help my clients, schools and families navigate each stage of development.

With a wide spectrum of community-based experience working with children and
families and individuals with severe mental illness, I believe change is possible
with a collaborative approach. I offer a calm, non-judgmental and respectful
environment drawing from evidence-based practice such as cognitive behavior
therapy, narrative therapy, and psychodynamic therapy.

I currently see adults of all ages, struggling with depression, anxiety, and grief. I
also welcome caregivers and partners living with someone who has severe mental
illness. Clients are welcome to make appointments at the office, virtually and in
the community, which includes in-home sessions as needed. If you have
Traditional Medicare, psychotherapy is covered and I am a contracted provider.