Amanda Halawa-Mahdi, LCSW

Amanda Halawa-Mahdi is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people manage stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression. She offers practical support for communication problems, caregiver strain, body image concerns, and workplace stress. Amanda also provides coaching-style help for goal-setting and decision making. With 23 years of experience, Amanda draws on several approaches to match each person's needs. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques to identify unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. Client-centered work guides conversations so the person's priorities lead the pace and focus of sessions. Her background includes work with adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system, where she emphasized behavior change strategies. She also completed coach training through the Co-Active Training Institute and uses those skills to support leaders and people facing life transitions. Amanda brings attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion and works to address bias that can affect people’s lives. She encourages people to build on their strengths and values when they want change. In sessions she aims to create a steady, collaborative process. Amanda listens for practical steps and helps people try small experiments between meetings. She supports gradual progress rather than quick fixes, and she helps clients track what works. People who want clear goals, concrete tools, and a supportive guide may find her approach helpful. Amanda practices in Illinois and conducts sessions in English.

Therapeutic approaches and online care

Amanda commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and client-centered approaches in sessions. CBT involves identifying thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and trying small behavior changes to test new ways of coping; it is often used for anxiety, mood concerns, and stress. Client-centered work focuses on listening and letting the person set the agenda so goals come from their values and priorities. Motivational Interviewing is another tool she draws on to help people find internal motivation and weigh options when they feel stuck.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Amanda works with each person to clarify goals and picks techniques that match those goals and personal preferences. She checks in regularly and adjusts direction based on what is helpful for the person’s life and pace.

Online formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule. Video calls allow face-to-face dialogue and visual cues, phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited, live chat offers a short check-in, and text-based messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options give flexibility for different days and needs while keeping the focus on practical steps and steady progress.