HOUSTON NEURODIVERGENT COUPLES THERAPIST
Amy Shahda, MA, LMFT-A
About AMY (She/her)
IWhether you’re parents raising a child with special needs, a couple navigating neurodivergence or intercultural differences, or an educator feeling disheartened and unheard by your partner, your life is unquestionably complex. You need a therapist who can support you and your partner in getting back on the same page—even if that page might seem miles apart.
As a mom of children with special needs, a wife, and a former teacher of 12 years, I've learned how to navigate tough conversations with gentleness and speak up when it counts. My adaptable approach brings ease and clarity to our work, providing straightforward guidance and deep compassion for your unique experience.
Together, I can help you and your partner navigate life’s complexity, uncover innovative solutions to manage stressors, and ensure you’re building an ideal future together. Ready to get started?
Amy’s Specialties
Parents of Special Needs Children
Life with special needs children brings additional stress to relationships and parenting. With professional and personal experience, I can help you process your struggles, navigate complex systems, and become an unstoppable advocate for your child.
Neurodivergent Couples
When one or both partners are neurodivergent, you may experience additional stressors around communication, sensory differences, and executive functioning, as if you’re on different wavelengths. I’ll help you understand each other's unique functioning, increase intimacy, and ensure your relationship honors everyone’s unique needs without self-sacrifice or minimization.
My approach is rooted in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).
AMY SHAHDA, NEURODIVERGENT COUPLES THERAPIST
Emotionally Focused Therapy is an incredible approach that allows you to access your deepest hurts, have them witnessed in a way that is profoundly healing, and pave the way for deeper intimacy, conflict resolution, and harmony.
I’m naturally a systems thinker, which means I take a zoomed-out approach to what is actually happening in your relationship, family, school system, workplace, or greater community. This approach brings unexpected solutions and insights that get you unstuck from ongoing loops of frustration and conflict within your relationships or family dynamics.
Areas of Expertise
Couples & families caring for children with special needs (i.e. autism, ADHD, developmental delays)
Parenting as a team
Educators & helping professionals
“Sandwich Generation”: those raising children while caring for aging parents
Fun Facts
Best travel memory? The historic Turkish baths in Istanbul.
In my precious downtime, you’ll find me reading, most recently The Nightingale.
Meaningful connection means dinner with friends, with not a phone in sight.
Delight is seeing my kids cuddling with our kittens, Stella Marie and Titus Agamemnon. Yes, the kids named the kittens. And yes, you will hear us calling them by their full names.
Credentials
-
MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Houston, Clearlake
-
Externship in Emotionally Focused Therapy
Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy
-
LMFT-Associate, #205577, Supervised by Nadine Greer, LMFT-S, #203096, and Dr. Laura Spiller, Licensed Psychologist #31563
RATES
Couples session (75 minutes): $230
Individual session (50 minutes): $185
OFFICE HOURS
By appointment
Wednesday
1 pm - 8 pm
Fridays
8:30 am - 2:30 pm
Saturdays
9 am - 12:30 pm