Dr. Amy Howes is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT137225), training under the supervision of Dr. Ramona Friedman. She holds both a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and a master’s degree in Psychology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

While working with college students as a lecturer at Cal Poly, she was affected by the students’ needs for mental health support, specifically for various types of anxiety. To become educated in a new field, she pursued and earned her M.S. in Psychology from Cal Poly. Her training to identify developmental trajectories of mental health distress in youth, understand and utilize evidence-based practices for treating anxiety disorders, and recognize the effectiveness of programs supporting parents and families forms the foundation for her specialized training with Dr. Friedman. Amy also brings empathy and experience from her year-long traineeship at the Atascadero High School Wellness Center and her years as a parent.

Amy Howes received her B.S. in Microbiology from UC Santa Barbara, then her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from UC San Diego. As a postdoctoral scientist she worked to develop better treatments for breast and brain cancers. In 2012, she relocated to San Luis Obispo, CA with her husband and two children. She lectured in the Department of Biological Sciences at Cal Poly State University for 8 years.

“I aim to develop a warm and effective therapeutic alliance while providing ethical and evidence-based treatment. I am passionate about educating kids, teens, and families about how anxiety can show up, what effectively breaks the hurtful patterns anxious thoughts can perpetuate and sharing hope for learning to thrive with the gifts that all anxious individuals embody. I look forward to helping you and your child acquire new skills to facilitate growth in ways that align with your values and strengths.”