Home | Amanecer Counseling

Amelia Ortega, LCSW, TCYM, SIFI

Amanecer Counseling Services is a feminist psychotherapy practice led by Amelia Ortega providing focused psychotherapy and community wellness programs to individuals and families impacted by systemic oppression and trauma.

Meet Amelia

pronouns: they/them, she/her, hers

LCSW, TCYM, SIFI

Amelia specializes in trauma centered, somatic psychotherapy, online pedagogy and system change work. They currently work as a somatic psychotherapist, organizational consultant and professor of Social Work practice at the Columbia University School of Social Work.

Amelia has worked for the last 13 years dedicated to supporting queer and trans young adults and families. Amelia has directed School Social Work counseling and arts programming in public high schools, residential support services for young people aging out of Foster Care and has developed school based interventions to support and organize queer students.

Amelia’s clinical practice engages trauma healing through use of somatic experiencing, and EMDR through a lens of feminist psychotherapy. Their work centers gender and race based traumas and healing, and celebrates the resilient lives of QTPOC community members.

See Amelia's full CV

Services

Tele-Health / Virtual Consultations

Due to Covid-19 restrictions all sessions are currently

being held through use of video conferencing

and phone based.

Individuals

Specialization Areas:

PTSD

Anxiety

Depression

Loss and Grieving

Difficulty with life transitions

LGBTQ identity

( coming out, dating, and Intimate Partner Violence)

Social Work students seeking support and/or supervision

Relationship / Family

Sessions are available for couples & individuals identified as being in relationship with one another. Family sessions strongly encouraged for those with children.

Amelia specializes in work with pre-teens and adolescents, specifically regarding substance abuse, sexuality, gender and identity development.

Couples, life partners, platonic life partners , chosen family and non-monogamous relationships welcome in this practice.

Insurance & Payment

Deciding to invest in your wellness and mental health is a huge victory, and talking about fees can feel overwhelming and scary. Amelia strives to make therapy available to all who are seeking services. If you have an insurance provider, it is best to contact them to determine if you have out of network coverage. Amelia can assist you in learning more about the Affordable Care Marketplace and Medicaid, and additionally offers sliding scale fees for service as well as therapy scholarships.

If you have insurance....

** Please call your insurance carrier to determine if they provide out of network

reimbursement for Behavioral Health Services.

Therapy Scholarships

There are 5 slots for therapy scholarship available to the community.

When all slots are filled, you may wish to be added to a waiting list.

Sliding Scale Fees

Individual Session Fee is $125

Amelia offers a sliding scale based on need and is flexible and open to discussing how to ensure that cost is not prohibitive for care.

Couples/Relationship Session Fee

$175

LMSW/ SIFI Supervision

$65 per hour - negotiable based on need

Group Supervision

$50 per hour

Testimonials

"I've worked with Amanecer Counseling for several years, and they've been an essential support in my journey to manage my anxiety and depression. Amanecer applies a gender lens, a trauma-informed approach, and an acute understanding of socioeconomic and racial dynamics to therapy; that is, rather than looking for textbook diagnoses that align with conventional medical models, Amanecer centers the client's therapeutic work in how a client's intersectional identities play out in their life and contribute to ongoing trauma."

"Amanecer helps me uncover deeply rooted patterns and behaviors, enabling me to reflect and apply strategies that help me make progress in my healing process. Amanecer approaches therapy from a place of curiosity that feels supportive, rather than judgmental, so I can arrive at my own realizations in my own time."

Resources

Contact Amanecer Counseling Services

email amanecerreferrals@gmail.com