Meet our Team!

About Amanda Alexander, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

I earned my doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Tennessee and am a Certified Mental Performance Consultant for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. I am Licensed as a Psychologist in both Florida (PY10052) and Texas (#37228). As a previous Division I athlete, I value having a team-based approach to solving problems and navigating through life's challenges. While I’m trained as a generalist, capable of working with individuals and couples who have a variety of concerns, my primary areas of expertise and interest are peak performance, stress management/reduction & burnout, multiculturalism and diversity, relationship health, self-esteem and identity, and life transitions. I’m also collaborating on a new project for creative practitioners that is very exciting; learn more about it here: Creative Performer

While I generally identify as being humanistic and performance psychology-based, I integrate a number of systems and methods into my practice. I am largely influenced by mindfulness-based practices, relational-cultural theory, feminist/multicultural theories, experiential/Gestalt theories, and DBT-based theories. Advocacy is also an important part of my professional and personal worldview, and I strive to provide services that are non-discriminatory and nurturing of all aspects of diversity.  I value my own mental health and self-care so that I can live fully and be present and effective in our work together. I attend my own counseling regularly and enjoy soaking up nature and sunshine, reading, spending time with friends and family, picking around on the guitar, and practicing yoga+meditation. I also stay active through running, swimming, paddleboarding, biking, and traveling as much as humanly possible. On occasion I love bringing my 11 year-old Labrador along to work too. After living and working in Tennessee, Arizona, and Texas previously, I am so thrilled to call beautiful Gainesville, Florida home!

About JD Wright, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

“If a person’s behavior doesn’t make sense to you, it is because you are missing a part of their context.” — Devon Price, PhD

I earned my Masters and Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kansas, after completing my undergraduate at UF. I am currently a Psychology Resident and in the process of completing the requirements for licensure in the state of Florida. I work with individuals and couples presenting with a range of backgrounds and concerns but have particular interests in working with trauma, identity and personal development, anxiety, career development, and creativity. 

I strive to work from a trauma-informed perspective with everyone I see. Within that perspective, I recognize that trauma is both pervasive and systemic and that healing means moving towards an engaged and meaningful life, rather than fixing something broken. In my work with you, I will take a holistic approach by striving to understand and respect your entire context, including your culture, identities, and history. I believe that strength and healing come from within, and I will work to create a safe environment from which I can support you in finding pathways forward. In our work together, I will draw from mindfulness-based therapies including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). I am trained in EMDR and utilize it to help clients move through traumas that are interfering with their ability to fully engage in their life. I am also trained in levels 1 and 2 of Gottman Couples Therapy. 

I offer psychological assessment, both within therapy and as a stand-alone service. I provide a range of assessment services including for ADHD, Specific Learning Disorders, Career and Life Planning, Personality, and Diagnostic assessments. 

In my spare time, I enjoy kayaking, hiking, and going on outdoor adventures with my family. I value work-life balance and self-care and practice them in my own life through mindfulness, Qigong, tennis, and music.

About Justin Martel, M.S. (he/him/his)

“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” – Abraham Maslow

I am currently earning my PhD in School Psychology at the University of Florida. As a doctoral fellow, I research the interface of mental health and sports psychology services with student-athletes as well as the role of meta-cognition in both performance and therapeutic settings. These topics are both professionally and personally close to my heart as a former Division I athlete and current amateur golfer. These opportunities have allowed me to reflect on my personal growth as both a person and an athlete and have provided me with the requisite knowledge to guide clients towards growth.  In addition to my pursuit of clinical licensure as a psychologist, I am also working towards a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association of Applied Sports Psychology (AASP).

I believe mental health and performance are mutually inclusive constructs which influence one another throughout various contextual arenas. With this understanding, I strive to use a holistic perspective in my approach to treatment. I am primarily inclined in using acceptance and mindfulness-based methods to help individuals develop insight through present-moment awareness and intrinsic reflection. Although my clinical orientation is centered around humanistic principles, I find that clients most profound growth comes from learning which processes work best on an individual basis. Methods I gravitate towards include Cognitive Behavioral Techniques, Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT), and even components of psychodynamic theory. These however, represent a small portion of the skills I intend to accumulate as I continue developing as a clinician. I consistently make an effort to maintain my own mindfulness practice while embodying a mindset of life-long learning. I find freedom and solace in the outdoors and can usually be found spending time playing with our Labrador, strength training, and improving my golf game.

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