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Amy Carnes

Amy Carnes, LMFT

Wisconsin

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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - Relationships and Grief

  • CBT approach
  • Client-centered work
  • Guilt and shame topics

About Amy

Amy Carnes is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 11 years of clinical experience in California and Wisconsin. She works with adults facing relationship strain, grief and life changes, anxiety, depression, addiction, parenting challenges, and issues around self-worth and intimacy. Amy names guilt and shame among the concerns she addresses.

She frames therapy as a collaborative process and aims to be transparent about what to expect. Sessions focus on practical steps as well as exploring feelings and patterns that keep someone stuck. Amy uses straightforward language and helps clients map out manageable goals.

Her training blends humanistic practices with cognitive behavioral methods. That means attention to how people experience relationships and to the thoughts and behaviors that maintain distress. She adapts her approach to what a person responds to rather than following a single method.

Amy has worked with people facing pregnancy and postpartum concerns, caregiver stress, mood disorders, and trauma-related symptoms. She also supports those dealing with loss, end-of-life matters, and complex situations involving co-occurring mental health and substance issues.

In early sessions she clarifies expectations and sets short-term goals. Over time she helps clients develop coping tools, shift unhelpful thinking, and repair relationship patterns when that is part of the work. The focus is on clear steps and steady progress rather than quick fixes.

How Amy blends therapy approaches for remote work

Amy often draws on client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy in her work. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening carefully and helping a person feel understood so they can talk through painful emotions and relationship concerns. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at how thoughts and behaviors keep problems going and teaches concrete tools to change those patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Amy will talk with each person about their goals and preferences, and try methods that fit the problem at hand. That collaborative decision-making helps adjust the plan as progress is made.

Session formats are not specified in the original biography, so confirm current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Amy uses practical techniques that translate to remote sessions, such as thought records, behavioral experiments, and focused conversations about relationships and grief. These methods support steady, usable progress while working from everyday life.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Relationship issuesGriefParenting issuesSelf esteemCoping with life changes

Also works with

Stress, AnxietyAddictionsFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issuesCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderDepression

Additional focus areas

Attachment issuesCaregiver issues and stressCo-morbidityDivorce and separationDrug and alcohol addictionFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMood disordersPostpartum depressionPregnancy and childbirthSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Gottman MethodMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

11+ years

Listed in

Wisconsin, California

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she work with?

She works with relationship strain, grief and life changes, anxiety, depression, addiction, parenting challenges, and related issues such as guilt and shame.

How would she approach feelings of guilt or shame?

She uses a mix of client-centered conversation and cognitive behavioral techniques to name unhelpful thoughts and try different responses over time.

What is her background and experience?

She holds a Master of Science in Psychology and has 11 years of counseling experience practicing in California and Wisconsin.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) licensed in California and Wisconsin and practices from Wisconsin.

Does she work in languages other than English?

Sessions are offered in English.

Can I take sessions from outside the United States?

She is not accepting international clients at this time.

How much do sessions cost?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin a first session?

Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.

Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.

Amy CarnesLMFT

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