{"id":16583,"date":"2022-01-05T15:43:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-05T20:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iseai.org\/?p=16583"},"modified":"2022-11-15T11:22:50","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T16:22:50","slug":"member-spotlight-amra-stafford-psy-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iseai.org\/member-spotlight-amra-stafford-psy-d\/","title":{"rendered":"Member Spotlight: Amra Stafford, Psy.D."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Amra Stafford is an ISEAI<\/span><\/i> Full-Partner Member<\/span><\/i><\/a> and Clinical Psychologist. She is the founder and owner of <\/span><\/i>Stafford Psychology<\/span><\/i><\/a>, where she facilitates healing and growth in individuals with EAI<\/a> so that they can function in harmony with their own values and purposes.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What is your primary field of work and where are you located?<\/b><\/h3>\n

I am a clinical psychologist in private practice in Tucson, Arizona. I am also a member of The Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), which allows psychologist members to practice telehealth in all member states (to date, 27). My practice is called Stafford Psychology and I provide longer-term psychotherapy, teach workshops and in-service training, and provide consultations to other mental health professionals on working with EAI-affected patients. About a quarter of my practice is with EAI patients (and co-occurring disorders, including MCAS, EDS, dysautonomia, etc.); a quarter is medical and mental health professionals; and a significant number are \u201cneurodivergent\u201d in some capacity (e.g., autistic, ADHD, \u201chighly sensitive,\u201d etc.)<\/span><\/p>\n

What are your specialties and unique perspectives on environmental health? <\/b>What are one or two of your biggest EAI \u201caha\u201d moments?<\/b><\/h3>\n

My academic and professional background has uniquely prepared me to work with patients suffering from EAI. I have a Master\u2019s degree in Social Ecology, the study of the relationship between people and their environments. This gave me a knowledge base about environmental sciences, while my own research focused on the cultural importance of sacred places in an international conflict zone. I also worked with people on both sides of this conflict, including refugees who fled their homes. My doctoral dissertation in Clinical Psychology looked at the psychological significance of \u201chome\u201d among psychotherapy patients at an outpatient clinic. What could be better preparation for working with EAI patients? Many of them struggle psychologically with the idea that their home (or another important environment) is making them sick. Many have to work through losing their homes or jobs in unhealthy buildings, which is, in essence, being an environmental refugee.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u201cMany have to work through losing their homes or jobs in unhealthy buildings, which is, in essence, being an environmental refugee.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Obviously, I cannot treat EAIs with psychotherapy. I often get referrals for a patient\u2019s non-compliance with EAI treatment or emotional issues stemming from the experience and consequences of being sick. <\/span>Interpersonal dynamics are actually key in treating the psychological sequelae of EAI.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cInterpersonal dynamics are actually key in treating the psychological sequelae of EAI.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Early experiences in a person\u2019s family of origin tend to shape how they respond to major stressors and loss (e.g., denial, helpless, \u201cperfect patient,\u201d etc.) Important current relationships are also incredibly impactful on a patient\u2019s healing because of how rigorous, life-altering, and often slow EAI treatment can be. For example, I can\u2019t tell you how frequently I see a patient\u2019s \u201cnon-compliance\u201d actually stem from a relationship with (or reliance on) someone who doubts the treatment\/illness. Also common are feelings from childhood experiences of being unworthy of wellness or that being sick (and therefore getting treated) is unacceptable. In fact, one of my biggest \u201caha moments\u201d was the realization that on a macro (interpersonal) and micro (cellular) level, EAI is problems with boundaries and the ability to \u201cdetox\u201d what doesn\u2019t serve a person\/body. Emotional and physical healing go together powerfully and beautifully.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cEmotional and physical healing go together powerfully and beautifully.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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What would you like the public and other ISEAI members to know?<\/b><\/h3>\n

My biggest wish is to have more mental health providers who understand the nuances of working with EAI-affected people. I have to turn away more than I can treat, myself, and yet know that the need out there is staggering. With long-covid looking an awful lot like what we see in EAI, the need is rapidly growing. Treating EAI patients is also challenging to providers in unique and particular ways. The second tier of all this is, therefore, support \u2013 whether peer to peer, self-care guidance, or mental health services \u2013 for the providers on the front lines of EAI treatment. Both are just as important, in my opinion, as advancing the medical treatment of EAIs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get in touch:<\/h4>\n<\/div>

Stafford Psychology
\n<\/strong>Phone:<\/strong> (520) 955-4416
\nWebsite: <\/strong>Stafford Psychology<\/a>
\nEmail:<\/strong> amra@staffordpsychology.com<\/a>
\n*Remote consultations available.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t