Welcome to Encouraged Psychology!
Welcome to the Encouraged Psychology blog! We’re glad you’re here.
This blog is a space where we will be sharing a curated collection of thoughts about our practice and about psychology more broadly. We hope to give you information about what we do and why we do it, including the ins-and-outs of therapy and some of the theory behind our approaches. We also hope to weigh in on psychology topics in the current media, especially when it comes to mental health and mental health treatment. We want this blog to be an informative and engaging space for our clients and our readers.
And of course, we wanted to start with an introduction. Encouraged Psychology is a private psychology practice that aims to bring evidence-based treatment to adolescents and adults struggling with a variety of anxiety, mood, and personality disorders. Let’s break that down:
Evidence-based treatment. In the world of psychology, an “evidence-based treatment” is a treatment that is backed by scientific research. That means that studies have been done to support that these treatments produce noticeable change for people with specific symptoms or diagnoses. At Encouraged Psychology, we offer a variety of evidence-based treatments, and we do our best to match clients with the treatment that has been shown to work for their specific symptoms and/or diagnoses. We especially like treatments that are behavioral, and focus on identifying and changing people’s behavior to better match their goals and values, and positive, and emphasize people’s strengths rather than their weaknesses. You can see more on our “How We Treat” page.
Adolescents and adults. We see teen (13-18), emerging adult (~18-29), and adult (30+) clients. We are aware that each stage of our lives comes with unique challenges and opportunities, and we work with our clients to meet them where they are now and help them move forward.
Anxiety, mood, and personality disorders. While we are able to see clients with a wide range of presenting concerns, we really specialize in these presentations. An anxiety disorder is any disorder characterized by fear of or anxiety about a real or perceived threat, including phobias, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, among others. A mood disorder is a disorder characterized by distinct mood swings, including depression and bipolar disorders. This can also include other “emotional disorders” characterized by difficulty with strong emotions, including anger, shame, or guilt. A personality disorder is a long-standing pattern of behavior that creates difficulties in a person’s life. Two common examples are borderline personality disorder (BPD) and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). Our clients often present with diagnoses from at least one (and often more than one) of these categories. You can see more in our “Who We Treat” page.
Encouraged Psychology was opened in September 2023 by Dr. Amanda Eix (you can learn more about her here). Dr. Eix spent her academic career studying the concept of courage, or the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. She opened this clinic on the foundation of igniting courage to create change. It is her belief that all clients seeking therapy are already embodying courage, and that courage can be used to create significant change in their lives. Therefore, that push to do hard things is at the heart of everything we do. If you’re ready for a push, you are ready to come see us.
Our practice is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, we are able to see clients virtually in most US states under PSYPACT, an interstate compact that allows licensed psychologists to practice telepsychology (or virtual therapy) across state boundaries legally and ethically. We hope to help more people across the country get access to the right therapist at the right time.
We are so excited to be launching this practice (and this blog!) and to be bringing our expertise into the field. We can’t wait to meet you!