Director of Psychological Services and Clinical Psychologist
PsyD (USA), APA Accredited, Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
MA (USA), Clinical Psychology
MSc (UK), With Honours, Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology
BA (USA), Magna Cum Laude, Psychology (Scholarship)
BFA (USA), Magna Cum Laude, Theater
HKICP Registered: CP00384
HKPS Fellow: 2014-585
American Psychological Association Member
Dr. Amanda Oswalt Visher is the Director of Psychological Services. Her clinical team provides child, adolescent, individual, couples and family therapy in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Swedish, Hindi, Gujarati, and Basic ASL.
She also supervises the Assessment Team, which conducts Psychoeducational and Autism Assessments (in English, Cantonese and Mandarin). In addition, she and her team host a number of after-school and weekend camps/groups for kids, teens and parents.
Amanda specialises in:
- CBT
- Play Therapy
- Psychoanalysis
- Art Therapy
- Group and Family Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
She works with kids and their families from ages 1-20 and specialises in:
- ASD
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- OCD
- Phobias
- Tics
- Anger Management
- Tantrums
- Regulation
- LGBTQIA+
- And more
Amanda has been working in the field of child development for 25 years. She has been the Director at SPOT for almost 10 years. Prior to her role at SPOT, she has also worked at:
- New York University Child Study Center
- Columbia University
- Juvenile Hall
- American Foster Care
- Red Cross 9/11 Relief
- Beth Israel Medical Center
- Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital
Amanda approaches every therapy session and assessment with each clients’ strengths and needs in mind. She strives to make a positive difference in families and to help them overcome roadblocks and challenges that have surfaced. Amanda believes that parents are the experts when it comes to their child and that her role is to support them and work as a team with caregivers, teachers, and parents in order to understand and bring out the best in each individual. She takes a solutions-oriented approach and seeks to help clients achieve tangible goals and positive life changes.
Before she became a psychologist, she was an early intervention specialist and preschool teacher. Thus, she very much values the school’s role in a child’s life and understands the classroom dynamic. She aims to support teachers and administrators in empowering them with tools and tricks to help make classrooms more fun for all.
Other interesting facts:
- Amanda is originally from the United States (Florida, California and New York City)
- She has lived all over the US and UK and has been in Hong Kong for 15 years.
- She and her family of 4 are happy to be expats and enjoy travelling and adventures.
- She has a BFA in Theatre and was a Disney performer before her career in psychology.
- She was once a live-in nanny for Madonna, Brooke Shields, Vivian Westwood’s family, and others
Recent Appearance in the News and Media:
Interviews:
South China Morning Post: Hong Kong-based third culture children face stresses and strains of being on the move
South China Morning Post: What to do when your parents have a favourite child
South China Morning Post: The Problem with Peer Pressure
Playtimes Magazine: April Fools
Just Peachy: Raising Children in a Pandemic
Television:
An interview with Healthcare Professionals
Parenting 2 – 5 Year Old Children
ADHD & SPD
Radio:
RTHK: Childhood Bullying
RTHK: Screen Addiction
Books:
Book: Bridging the Gap Between Our World and Theirs: How to Communicate With Your Autistic Child
Web:
LinkedIn
She has presented at several international conferences:
- The Autism Summit Hong Kong
- National Counselling and Psychotherapy Conference (3 years in a row)
- Regular speaking engagements at Hong Kong International Schools (for Teacher Continuing Education, Parent Training, and Student Support)
- She also collaborates with many companies (such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, etc.) to help support and educate staff on mental wellbeing
To schedule an appointment, please contact reception.