Individual Therapy

Moonrise Pathways, PLLC offers virtual mental health counseling and EMDR to teens (12+) and adults located anywhere in North Carolina and South Carolina via HIPAA-compliant video platform.

Amanda Kenney, LCSW supports individuals navigating a wide range of experiences and challenges, such as anxiety, trauma, PTSD, depression, life transitions, identity, self-esteem, and neurodivergence.

Therapy doesn’t erase what’s hard, but it can help you to find ways to move through it with more clarity and confidence.

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How I Can Support You

  • When you’re carrying the weight of anxiety, stress, depression or persistent low mood, life can start feeling like it’s a series of things to “get through” rather than experience and enjoy. You might feel permanently on edge and unable to truly relax even when you have the time, or the opposite—feeling like you’re running on an empty tank and just going through the motions. Maybe it’s not so glaring, but you just feel “off” and ultimately you’re surviving when you want to be thriving.

    Therapy can be a space to slow down and looking at what’s driving those feelings. My goal is to help you move beyond just “managing” your day and towards a life where you feel more balanced, able to breathe, and enjoy life a little more.

  • Pain has a way of sticking with us, in both our bodies and our minds. You might feel like you’re constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop or this sense of danger when things are calm. Your emotions may feel intense and overwhelming, or maybe you aren’t really feeling much of anything, more so just numb and disconnected from the world. Trauma can look so different from person to person, so it may be none of these, but still there’s some sort of lasting impact.

    You also might not be sure if what you’re experiencing “counts” as trauma, you only know that something stayed with you. I want you to know your story is significant. Whether it’s from hurtful event(s), the weight of systemic or generational stressors, or a collections of “smaller” hurts built up over time, you don’t have to have a specific label of your experience for it to be worth tending to.

    Healing is about learning to carry things differently (since we can’t simply forget or erase). Our work together focuses on understanding yourself and how these past wounds may still show up, as we move to (re)build safety, trust, and confidence in yourself.

    [Note: this doesn’t mean telling you’ll need to repeat your story of trauma over and over]

  • Change can bring a lot of uncertainty and throw us off-kilter, even in the times we chose it. If you’re navigating a transition—such as career shift, graduating, self-discovery, experiencing a change in your relationship(s), or moving—you might be feeling a bit lost or overwhelmed.

    Our sessions can be a grounding space to reflect and help you find your footing as you move into this next chapter of your life, even if you don’t have a clear direction before we start.

  • Sometimes, the struggle isn’t necessarily one specific thing, but instead an uneasy (but subtle) sense of feeling stuck or disconnected. Your life might feel a bit scattered despite your best efforts, or you notice you’ve been incredibly hard on yourself.

    We’ll work on understanding those patterns and strengthening your self-compassion, to help you reconnect with yourself and find an internal sense of steadiness and balance.

  • Living in a world that wasn't built for your neurodivergent brain can be exhausting. Whether you have a formal diagnosis, are self-identified, or have always just felt “different,” I want to say you’re nottoo much,” notnot enough” and your neurodivergence is not a problem to be solved.

    Instead of trying to force yourself to function like everyone else (which is a path that so often leads to burn out), we’ll focus on how you’re uniquely wired. We’ll look at where the world may be asking too much of you and find sustainable ways for you to feel regulated, capable, and perhaps most importantly, more peace within yourself.

  • There are a lot of systems in place doing real harm and/or protecting said harm and the people causing it. There’s a lot of heavy news—some sad, some infuriating, some scary, some exhausting. Scrolling social media can be a roller coaster of meme, tragedy, funny reel, relatable post, “he did/said what!?". . . rinse, wash, repeat. It can be overwhelming, and have you wondering if something is wrong with you since others may not be responding and change isn’t happening (yet).

    That’s all real and valid. I’m not going to promise that I have all the answers by any means, because I don’t. But you deserve a space where you know that you can process your thoughts and reflect on the impacts of the state of the world. You deserve a therapist who knows it’s often not personal or individual issues, but rather systemic. Who knows that feeling emotions in response to what’s going on is HUMAN, and we don’t need to shut those down or treat it like a “disorder.”

    We can work together to find what helps bring you some level of happiness & hope and to regulate in moments you need to, while also acknowledging we can’t deep breathe our way out of oppressive systems such as racism/white body supremacy, capitalism, fascism, ableism, the patriarchy/misogyny, or discrimination based on who we love or our gender identity.

My Approach

I provide a collaborative, anti-oppressive, trauma-responsive, and neuroaffirming space that is built around your lived reality. Instead of just looking at symptoms, I look at you as a whole person within your surrounding systems. I bring an eclectic, holistic approach to support your growth in ways that honor your unique identity, experiences, and strengths.

No single path fits everyone—not in life and certainly not in therapy. Your goals and your pace guide our sessions in a space that prioritizes your autonomy and authenticity. The most transformative work happens through genuine connection and understanding, plus shared curiosity and openness to explore the layers (think Shrek–complimentary).

Amanda Kenney, LCSW sitting holding Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman. Next to her is a pile of various books, with themes of therapy and social justice.
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

    • Mindfulness-based; emphasizing accepting difficult thoughts & feelings and committing to actions aligned with personal values.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

    • Very “here and now” and problem-oriented; based on the idea that your thoughts, feelings, and actions are all connected.

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

    • Balancing acceptance of emotions & logic alongside behavior changes. Tools and skills related to mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

    • Reducing the impact of trauma, distressing experiences, and/or negative beliefs by reprocessing memories alongside guided eye movements, sounds, or taps and integrating positive beliefs.

Treatment Modalities

  • Motivational Interviewing (MI)

    • Strengthening personal motivation, goal-commitment, and self-belief, in part by exploring and resolving conflicting feelings about change.

  • Parts Work [Informed by Internal Family Systems/IFS]

    • Resolving inner conflict and increasing self-compassion by identifying, understanding, unburdening, and harmonizing with the different parts/elements within ourselves.

  • Person-Centered Therapy (PCT)

    • This is at the heart of my approach. This is about empowerment—you are the expert in you and already have resources for healing/growth within.

  • Somatic Therapy Approaches

    • Focusing on the mind-body connection—helping to become more aware of your body and physical sensations, and increasing nervous system regulation.

This is a non-exhaustive (and super-simplified) list of evidence-based therapy modalities, approaches, and frameworks I draw from in my work. Truthfully, “evidence-based” therapy often doesn’t factor in individual complexities, cultural contexts, or the therapeutic relationship, so the research and applicability are limited. That said, there are some valuable techniques out there, and we’ll work together to find what blend works best for you!

What to Expect

Healing doesn’t happen in a straight line. It’s not a finish line we eventually cross, nor a final destination we ultimately reach; it’s a continuous practice. Therapy offers a consistent space within that process, dedicated to a supportive experience where you can navigate the ups and downs of learning and unlearning. It’s where both baby steps & breakthroughs are celebrated and setbacks & revisits are seen as informative moments (not roadblocks or backslides).

Our pathway together begins with a collaborative assessment during our initial session, often called an “intake” session, where we’ll start to get to know each other, explore your background/history, and identify what you’d like to focus on. From there, we’ll work together to develop goals that feel purposeful and possible. These goals can be adjusted as your needs do.

Real connection is the foundation of this work, and since trust is earned, not given, it takes time. Our first few meetings mainly focus on building trust and comfort in our dynamic before we move into any deeper level or layer.

Overall, each therapy session is a chance to explore, build deeper awareness and understanding of yourself, and practice new ways of responding to life’s challenges. Some weeks it may feel light, others may feel heavy. Both are very much part of the non-linear process. My goal is to help you feel seen and supported, and empower you to connect with your strengths and achieve your goals.

We will regularly check in to ensure our work feels meaningful and is moving at your pace. Your feedback guides every step—if there’s ever anything that you don’t vibe with, I want to know so that we can adjust! This is your therapy; while I can provide structure and tools, you’re the one who knows you best!

Ready to get started?