Category Archives: Staff Member

With mental health experience working with a multitude of populations, I currently am accepting clients with all clinical issues and of all ages. I have enjoyed working with adolescent clients in the clinical and school settings, dealing in large part with school-related anxiety and other emotional and transition issues.  My experience ranges from childhood through older adulthood, supporting clients with a variety of concerns.

My professional passions include individual, couples, and family therapy. I offer both in-office and virtual sessions, and I am a traditional Medicare certified provider.  Employing evidence-based practices, I frequently utilize cognitive-behavioral based therapies and psychodynamic therapy, to best suit my clients’ needs. 

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.

As a therapist, I provide a warm, affirming, and nonjudgmental space where adults feel safe to share their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. My style is compassionate, solution-focused, and direct. I believe in meeting you where you are while also challenging you to recognize your strengths, break unhelpful patterns, and take meaningful steps toward the life you want. My goal is to help you feel heard, supported, and empowered.

I believe in the “butterfly effect:” the idea that meaningful change begins with small, intentional actions. Together, we’ll identify what is no longer serving you, embrace your role in the change process, and build on the resilience and strengths you already possess. While I offer empathy and encouragement, I also provide honest feedback and practical tools.

My therapeutic approach focuses on helping adults manage stress, navigate grief, and overcome anxiety and depression using evidence-based interventions tailored to your unique needs. Together, we’ll develop practical skills, shift unhelpful thinking patterns, strengthen emotional resilience, and create solutions that support your overall well-being. 

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.

I am a nationally certified school psychologist with experience providing comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations and consultation services for children and adolescents across school and clinical settings. My work focuses on identifying and understanding learning, behavioral, social-emotional, and developmental needs in order to help families and schools create meaningful supports for students.

I have extensive experience conducting evaluations related to ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, executive functioning, and emotional/behavioral concerns. My background in the public school setting allows me to help families better understand the educational process, interpret evaluation results, and navigate school-based services and supports.

In addition to psychological and psychoeducational testing, I value collaborating closely with parents, educators, and multidisciplinary teams to provide practical recommendations that support student success across settings. I strive to create an evaluation experience that feels supportive, thorough, and approachable for both children and families.

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.

With over three decades in education as a teacher, instructional leader, and principal, I’ve seen leadership and teaching success come from working with others who share a vision for ongoing improvement.

My professional philosophy is grounded in the conviction that schools function as communities, with the development of all members being essential. I am dedicated to supporting school leaders in fostering an intentional culture centered on engaging educators in collaborative learning. For optimal student outcomes, it is imperative that everyone within the learning community—including teachers, staff, school leaders, parents, and community stakeholders—engage in continuous collective growth. My extensive experience in building collaborative learning environments enables me to offer effective leadership training for principals, staff, and parents. I have a particular interest in providing professional development in the following areas:

• 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 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. Though I work with adults and older adults, I find it beneficial to consider an individual’s past and early life experiences especially as they impact present-day challenges. I view therapy as a collaboration where there can be safety and trust, as we explore what you need to feel a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in your life. Our focus extends beyond just symptom relief and instead towards lasting healing, growth and change.