Amy Sharp, Ph.D.

Psychologist PSY27358

Amy Sharp, Ph.D.

Psychologist PSY27358

Amy Sharp, Ph.D.

Amy Sharp, Ph.D., specializes in helping adults with:

  • Trauma (accidents and tragedies, as well as childhood trauma and neglect)
  • Perfectionism
  • People-pleasing beliefs and behaviors
  • Obsessive-compulsive tendencies
  • Depression and Anxiety

People usually call Dr. Sharp when:

  • Do not have a solid sense of themselves and find it difficult to affirm their own thoughts and feelings (“It’s not okay for me to have this thought if someone else disagrees with me,” or “Is it okay to have this feeling? Am I right to feel this way?”)
  • Have a sense that something about them is different or odd compared to others
  • Have noticed that their preoccupation with orderliness, need to do things the “right” way, and perfectionism has led to difficulty with flexibility and openness
  • Are feeling burned out from the constant efforts or expectations to do things a certain way or to a certain standard or from meeting the needs of others
  • Want to be more organized and productive but are stuck in chronic patterns of procrastination and avoidance
  • Find that they are experiencing an increase of worry, fear, or panic following a significant event in their life
  • Have consistent feelings of worthlessness and guilt that never completely go away
  • Want to work with an IFS trained, EMDR-certified psychologist

Dr. Sharp’s approach as a therapist is active and goal-oriented, an approach that is tempered by the addition of curiosity, compassion, and acceptance. Clients have reported Dr. Sharp makes them feel like there is no judgement when they talk about situations where they feel extreme shame and self-criticism. She is collaborative with clients, providing information about various approaches and checking in frequently to make sure the focus of each session is on-point.

Dr. Sharp’s therapeutic approach is informed by her early training in chemistry and biology: collect data about the troublesome experiences in day-to-day life and experiment with various tools and approaches to see what works best to shift thoughts and behaviors. This experimental approach reflects Dr. Sharp’s practical, logical nature—an approach that helps provide stability and structure to clients when weathering the storms of emotional chaos. As Dr. Sharp works collaboratively with clients, it is the client’s goals that direct the course of treatment. Clients who have completed a course of treatment with Dr. Sharp report that they:

  • feel more at ease and comfortable in their own skin without having to second guess themselves all the time,
  • are forgiving of themselves when making mistakes,
  • are confident in their ability to support themselves through life’s ups and downs,
  • are comfortable disagreeing and engaging in conflict with others,
  • can make sense of their experiences and feelings,
  • are able to be more flexible and open in how things get accomplished and how they relate to others,
  • have more control over their reactions and when and how they accomplish tasks,
  • have practical tools that help them work towards their goals,
  • find peace.

Background

Twenty-five years ago, Dr. Sharp dropped out of the genetics PhD program at UC Davis. The field of genetics was interesting but not enough to dedicate the rest of her life to it. Applying to graduate school had been a continuation of the path of least resistance: the culmination of arriving to adulthood without a sense of self, purpose, or direction.

For Dr. Sharp, quitting that graduate program was the beginning of a journey of learning about herself. She opened herself up to what was in her way and has used the difficult moments of her past as a fulcrum to discover who she is and what she wants. Because of this work, every year finds her even more at ease and grounded in who she is. This allows her to recognize and communicate her own needs, take care of herself, be in charge of her own mental and emotional health, and be able to support her clients without bringing her personal issues to the treatment room.

Dr. Sharp obtained her master and doctorate degrees from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA. Dr. Sharp was drawn to transpersonal psychology because it is a model where someone could bring their whole selves for healing, body, mind, and soul, and be able to shift from knowing something is true to believing what is true. As part of taking a holistic approach, she acknowledges the impact of diet and physical health, as well as cultural, social, and spiritual aspects on mental health.

As part of her graduate training, Dr. Sharp worked with adults, couples, and families dealing with chronic illness (i.e, cystic fibrosis), relationship issues and chronic challenges in interpersonal interactions, mild to chronic depression, and a range of anxiety experiences.

Through her postdoc, Dr. Sharp gained an understanding of the inner workings of psychiatric hospitalization and nursing homes—areas of knowledge that have helped clients navigate and deal with the challenging situations their family and friends may be going through. She also gained an appreciation of how important psychoeducation is. Many clients have come to treatment without having been given enough information in their previous experiences with therapy, leaving them without a structure through which they can understand their personal psychology.

Dr. Sharp’s clinical work is informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Existential-Humanistic Psychology, Mindfulness, Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Cognitive Behavioral Psychology (CBT). Dr. Sharp is an EMDR Certified Therapist through the EMDR International Association. She is also a certified Level One T.E.A.M. Therapist, a cognitive-behavioral-based approach to therapy. Dr. Sharp completed in-depth training in the areas of psychosynthesis and existential-humanistic theories. She has also completed trainings in EMDR protocols for the treatment of addictions, OCD/panic/phobias, and insomnia. She is currently working through a Level 1 training in Internal Family Systems.

During her free time, Dr. Sharp enjoys participating in her local book club, taking care of the family’s cats and chickens, getting creative with sewing and crochet, cooking yummy food, and slowly incorporating homesteading practices.

Dr. Sharp is licensed to provide telehealth in the state of Florida. Additional information about telehealth services in Florida may be found at: https://flhealthsource.gov/telehealth/

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