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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: For therapy inquiries: Providers who accept Aetna, Medicare, and self-pay patients have immediate openings available. Providers who accept BCBS and Scott & White insurances are on a brief wait list. Dr. Stanley is only accepting a limited number of self-pay patients at this time. We can assist with verifying out-of-network benefits for therapy if you have a different insurance plan. ​ For testing/evaluation inquiries: We are able to immediately accept new requests using insurances we are in-network with and self-pay clients. Send us a message! First Name Last Name Email Phone Number How can we help you? How did you find us? Choose an option SEND Thank you for your message! We will contact you within 24 business hours. Come visit us at Stanley Psychology! 108 North 1st Avenue Mansfield, Texas 76063 Patient Care Coordinator: info@stanleypsychology.com Dr. Stanley: dr.stanley@stanleypsychology.com Office: (817) 592-0750 (call or text) Fax: (817) 259-2491

Join Our Team Stanley Psychology is expanding! We are currently searching for Licensed Clinicians, Clinical Residents, and Practicum Clinicians who are passionate about mental health care to join our team. Please see below for more information. Available Positions We are currently accepting inquiries for the following positions: Licensed Clinicians (Psychologists, LPAs, LPCs, etc.) Pre-licensed clinicians pursuing licensure Clinical Residents: post-practicum graduate students Practicum Clinicians: graduate student clinicians seeking practicum placements WHAT WE LOOK FOR Commitment and passion for providing mental health care to clients as an empathetic, attentive practitioner Leaders looking to develop as a clinician and meet professional career goals regardless of level of experience or education Willingness to adapt or change treatment plans and communication styles depending on the patient's ne eds Ability to support team members and provide professional guidance or collaboration when applicable WHAT WE OFFER Formal clinical supervision and support from a licensed psychologist and practice owner with 15 years of experience A professional, well decorated, and clean space for appointments and day-to-day work Independent decision making with your schedule and clients A close knit team of experienced clinicians that will foster clinical growth and provide positive company culture Individual growth opportunities in an expanding practice Interested? Contact Us! First Name Last Name Email Tell us about your education and experience, highest level of degree earned (and when), and how long you have been practicing. Please specify if you are a student and your anticipated date of degree. What licenses and certifications do you have, and which professional organizations do you belong to if any? What are your specific clinical interests, both specialties (such as marriage or behavioral therapy) and population preference (such as age or gender)? Is there anything else you would like to add? Submit Thank you for your interest! You will hear from us soon! Our Office Space LOCATED IN HISTORIC MANSFIELD, TEXAS

Frequently Asked Questions What is therapy/psychotherapy? Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, the approach of the clinician, and the particular problems you are experiencing. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on the part of the patient. For therapy to be the most successful, patients will be asked to apply strategies learned in therapy to other areas of life. Since therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings in and after sessions like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have many benefits. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress. What is a psychologist? Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist, Psychiatric Nurse, Licensed Psychiatric Associate…there are a lot of similar terms in our field! In a nutshell, a psychologist has achieved a doctoral degree (Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D.) studying the science of human behavior. A psychologist is required to earn a doctorate, and as such have one of the highest levels of education in mental health care. They often surpass ten years of education, in addition to post-doctoral work under supervision to meet rigorous licensing requirements. Many do not know this, but the National Science Foundation classifies psychology at this level as a STEM discipline. This is due to doctoral training emphasizing scientific foundations and applications of psychological understanding; in a nutshell, there is a lot of science to our art! Additionally, psychologists are uniquely trained in both psychotherapy and psychological assessment. What is a psychological evaluation? Psychological evaluation is a large part of a psychologist’s training. Licensed Psychological Associates (LPAs) also uniquely receive psychological testing training, which is not a part of most masters-level mental health training program and licenses. Simply stated, a psychological evaluation involves clinical interviewing, review of collateral data, and various forms of psychological testing which is determined by the referral reason. Anyone who begins the psychological evaluation process with Dr. Stanley hears the same statement: that she dislikes the term “psychological testing” as it is innately anxiety provoking. To simplify the process: clinical interviewing involves asking questions to a client and others if applicable (e.g., parents, medical providers, etc.) regarding psychosocial history and current concerns/impairment. A testing plan is created by Dr. Stanley to assess the clinical concern. This sometimes includes responding to true/false questions, rating scales, and various interactive tasks. Any appropriate collateral data is reviewed, such as medical and therapy records. These pieces of information and reviewed and interpreted, and a clinical evaluation report is written. These reports typically range from 10-20 pages, depending on the reason for referral. This information is typically used to aid in diagnosis and planning treatment or other services. Many evaluations are able to be completed completely virtually, although some require portions if in-person testing. These specifications will be communicated to you when booking. How do I know if I need therapy? As a mental health clinic, we are inherently biased...but we believe just about anybody can benefit from therapy! Whether you are going through a difficult life stressor, have ongoing concerns, or want to develop insight into yourself, therapy can be of great assistance. We all struggle at times, and therapy can help you navigate a variety of life issues. How long does it take to feel better with therapy? This is a difficult question to answer. In our field, sometimes people begin experiencing symptoms relief simply by contacting a provider and making an appointment; that is, knowing help is coming has an impact itself. Other patients describe relief after the first session, once they get an initial read on if provider is a good fit for them. As far as improvement once treatment begins, this largely depends on symptom severity and other factors of a patient’s clinical presentation. As a general estimate, most patients will report some improvement within ten sessions, and many significantly earlier. However, therapy can be an ongoing process for months or even years, depending on the patient’s needs and wants, as progress continues. How can therapy help me more than self-help books, social media videos from mental health providers, etc.? Self-help options can be beneficial, no doubt. However, these forms of media are based on someone else’s journey, experiences, and interpretations. Although these can be enlightening, a massive limitation is that they are not generalizable to everyone. If you have read a self-help book before, you likely had several things that resonated with you, but many other suggestions that were discarded for not being applicable. Although self-help books and various forms of mental health media can be beneficial, these are best used in conjunction with therapy rather than as a substitute for! What do I do in an emergency? Should a mental health emergency occur, immediate intervention is required. Not only is crisis management a piece of a patient's treatment when indicated, but they should also be aware of options during potential mental health emergencies: - If suicidal, call 911 or report to the emergency room immediately - 988 is the national suicide and crisis lifeline, available 24/7 During any suicide/crisis intervention, the individual should be continuously observed and not be left alone until professionally assessed and recommendations provided. Importantly, Stanley Psychology is an outpatient clinic and does not utilize on-call providers. As such, although we would like to be notified when our patients experience a crisis, this notification should only occur after emergent help is sought and the patient is stabilized. I’m a masters or doctoral psychology student and am interested in a practicum placement with Stanley Psychology. How should I proceed? Thank you for your interest! Dr. Stanley supervises all practicum students directly; please call the office or email her directly to initiate the interview process (dr.stanley@stanleypsychology.com). If you want to talk to current practicum students to inquire about their experiences, feel free to contact them- email addresses can be found by their profile in the “About” section. Please note Dr. Stanley does not accept psychiatric nurse practitioner students for practicum due to requirements and office limitations. MORE QUESTIONS? CONTACT US

Welcome to Stanley Psychology! I'm Dr. Stanley, but I tend to be informal - most of my patients call me Amanda. I want to welcome you to our practice. I am excited to be establishing our practice in Historic Downtown Mansfield, Texas, to embrace the charm of the area and community culture. We want our practice to feel comfortable for our patients and like a second home, rather than having too much of a medical feel. I truly believe the best healing begins with being comfortable and that starts with the treatment environment. I am also happy to announce we will continue remote services for those who prefer to attend virtual sessions. Many psychology group practices focus on a single area of expertise throughout their clinicians; meaning, that the whole practice has a specific specialty. This works great for some practices. However, when expanding my practice, I wanted to embrace the diversity in specialties for clinicians, leading us to serve a wider range of patients. Individuals who practice in the mental health field tend to be generalists; meaning, they are equipped to treat a wide variety of issues, as we all are here. However, each clinician also brings specialties to the practice. For myself, I specialize in trauma and substance abuse treatment. Morgan Flores, one of our therapists, specializes with couples and families, Christian counseling, and women’s issues. Morgan Brown, one of our other therapists, specializes in treating anxiety, self-esteem concerns, and is our child expert in the practice treating children ages 4+. In addition, as clinicians trained in the science of psychology, we are all experienced in conducting testing or psychological evaluations, which is something unique to our specific field. We are also always looking to hire new clinicians to bring additional specialties to our practice. In our office, each therapist utilizes a base of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with additional modalities utilized depending on clinician and case circumstances. All treatment is supervised by me, allowing each patient to have access to both a psychologist and their treating therapist throughout their mental health journey. We are also excited to be offering group therapy for various concerns- keep an eye out on our social medias and in-office for information! We are delighted you are here- welcome in! Dr. Amanda Stanley

Amanda Stanley, Ph.D. Grounding is a technique used in mental health to help people come into the present moment with their senses. Mindfulness is described as being in the present moment, whereas grounding is used to get to the present moment. These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, and that is ok- there’s no quiz here! When we worry, we are focused about something that has happened in the past or thinking about something in the future . Grounding helps us stop this past/future focus and be in the present moment by engaging our five senses. Let’s talk about how grounding is classically taught first…and then I’ll tell you why I tell patients to “throw that out the window” when I teach grounding and what to really do, based on success in practice. The classic instruction is to use a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 strategy: First, we want to use sight . Look around and name five things you can see. Focus on the details of each object. Then, we use touch . Feel four things that you can touch. Really feel the texture of the item you are touching, and think about the sensations and temperature. Next is hearing . Name three things you can hear. You want to pay attention to sounds in your environment, such as a fan, birds, traffic, a clock, etc. Then, we use smell . Focus on any scents in the air such as with food or nature. Scented lotions work well too. Last, we want to taste . Get something nearby to taste that is pleasant, and describe the flavor and any other sensations you experience. Why is this difficult to do? Well, if you are already anxious or otherwise distressed, this can be overwhelming. Unless you are visually impaired, most people can complete the five things you can see. Four things you can touch are also typically easy for people. However, after that, it gets tricky! I don’t know about you, but unless I am out in nature, it is difficult to think of three things you can hear. This can induce pressure and panic to find an answer; now we are getting more worked up. Two things to smell? We don’t always have multiple pleasant smelling things around us. Lastly, for taste- if we do not have something to taste, this can induce more stress to try to find something to complete the task. Taken together, grounding in the classical sense can actually be counterproductive by adding to distress. If it works for you, great! But if not, here are some alternatives: The 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 strategy: just like above, but focus on only one thing for each sense. If you do not have something to taste nearby, you can imagine something pleasant to you. The 1-sense strategy: Pick your favorite sense, and use that! You can do 5 things you see and successfully ground yourself, as an example. Touch is another great one for the one-sense approach. The multi-sense item: Some people like having an established “grounding item” that engages multiple senses. Small lotion bottles are a great example- you can feel the texture of the bottle, the cap, and the actual lotion; you can see the writing on the bottle and then focus on the color of the lotion; and, you can smell the pleasant scent of the lotion. In our office, we offer scented dough balls (think of a more pliable stress ball) to help ground with multiple senses- next time you are in-office, feel free to ask for one! Regardless of how you approach grounding, a lot of individuals think that this just “won’t help” and disregard it before ever trying. I think that is typically due to improper expectations. Is grounding going to solve your problem? No, of course not! But, does it allow your mind to take a “brain break” and focus on something pleasant in the moment to take the edge off? Yes, it does. When you return to thinking about the stressor, you can usually do so from a calmer place with more clarity. Try it out, let us know what you think, and watch future blog entries and posts for more anxiety management strategies! -Dr. Stanley

Amanda Stanley, Ph.D. Disclaimer: this is not a dad-hating blog- there are plenty of great dads out there (who "dad" in their own way). But this one is to celebrate moms, who just won’t stop momming. Many of my therapy patients with children will often hear me say “moms are always momming” no matter how old their children get. Adult child has a tough day at work? Mom wants to be there. Young child sick? Mom to the rescue. Child has a great accomplishment? Enter celebratory mom! Child struggling with something? No better comfort than mom. Old moms, new moms, grandmoms, adoptive moms…moms are always momming. Even as an adult psychologist, many of my patients who have adult children also “mom” me- making suggestions for a new cold medicine if they hear me sniffling or a certain office accessory to fill a need. I find this incredibly endearing (and helpful!), and will also chuckle and point out how moms are always momming when this happens. Growing up, my mom was the epitome of always momming. As a child I never realized how fortunate I was that breakfast was always ready, dinner was always homemade, and lunches were packed (including making sure all four of us children had our favorites- even if that meant making four types of sandwiches). No matter how hard her day may have been, we always came first. Mom was our biggest cheerleader- I don’t know how many 5am trips she took to make sure we made our extracurricular activities on time. And of course  we did not make it easy- choir, swimming, theater, basketball, baseball, even math competitions (I’ll own that one- yes, I was a mathlete). I was diagnosed with asthma as an adolescent, and for the next several decades anytime I coughed my mom would ask how my asthma was- mom was always momming. Normal is relative, and although I was appreciative, this all was my normal- I did not know another way. Although moms are always momming, moms seem to have to super-mom this time of year, when they often get the short end of the stick. The pressure to have holiday magic, arrange schedules, find the perfect gifts, and so on. More and more tasks seem to get added- many of you have to come up with a creative place to move an elf (every day for weeks on end) and, for those with young children, cannot get through December schooldays without navigating when pajama day, grinch day, cookie day, etc., are. Many moms spend the majority of December on a computer these days, focused on finding the perfect gift for everyone who makes the gift list, from children and spouse, to in-laws and teachers, often for others to get the accolades. When it comes to holidays, many moms focus on taking pictures of  their family, often being forgotten to actually be IN the pictures. Or worse, that they are hosting a group and are focused on making sure everyone is fed while trying to watch the gift opening over their shoulder.   As I reflect on childhood during this time of year, I recall that things just seemed to appear - the tree, the ornament boxes, the presents, the ice-skating figurines, the Mr. Bingle (a New Orleans tradition), the Christmas cookies. Sure, we would decorate the tree together, but let’s be honest- mom did the hard work. My mother passed in 2018, and we would do anything to have another Christmas with her- even if the tree stayed in the attic, breakfast was pouring yourself cereal, bows did not match the presents, and homemade cookies were nowhere in sight. It’s truly not about these things. These days, my sister (as the mom of adult children) has been the magic maker for the holidays for the whole family for years. We joke that she is “Mrs. Claus” and I’m fairly certain she has every holiday décor item that Target has ever made (joking…sort of). Anyone (person or dog) who comes to her house gets a stocking- with 20+ people and 10 or so dogs, this is not an easy task. For decades, she has somehow managed to find the perfect gifts for people (things I would never think of) and navigated the integral tree of family, spouses, in-laws, etc., to determine when there is overlap for all of us to do a secret santa gift exchange and eat a meal together. This is a good reminder to make sure she can enjoy Christmas morning- no matter how old her children get (now in their twenties), she has been consistently joyous watching them open gifts throughout the years. So moms….prioritize yourself. Especially during this season. You should get front row to the present opening- who cares if breakfast is late, delegated to others, or even nonexistent? Struggling with the perfect gift for someone? Everyone loves gift cards. No one will care if the bow on the present is perfect, and no one will care if the holiday cards are late. Ask someone else to snap all the pictures so that you can live in the moment (and also make an appearance in the images- I promise you, 20 years from now, you will not care if your hair was a mess and clothes were wrinkly- you want those priceless images). And most importantly- give yourself some grace.  This time of year, you get more tasks to do but no more time to do them (the math does not work, from the former mathlete haha); something has to give and too often the default is to compromise yourself.  I promise- your loved ones do not want that. Enjoy and embrace the imperfectness to this season, and stop trying to make it perfect.