Working with Amanda "AJ" Sadler

Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #157238

Associate Professional Clinical Counselor #20234

408.898.1966 | ajsadler@axismunditherapy.org

Telehealth Only

Supervised by Rayne Banneck, LMFT #124607

Hi, I’m AJ (they/them). I’m a white, queer, non-binary, neurodivergent (AuDHD) therapist of European ancestry. My relationship to lineage, land, and interconnectedness shapes how I understand healing—not as something linear or purely individual, but as something relational, embodied, and shaped by the world we’re living inside of. A lot of the people who find their way to me are in the middle of something—identity questions, relationship strain, conflict, trauma, or the realization that the systems around them don’t quite fit. Often, they’re actively unlearning old survival patterns, working to come back into relationship with themselves, and figuring out how to hold both compassion and accountability without losing either.

I show up as a real person in the room—expressive, engaged, and direct, always grounded in care. I’ll be honest with you, and I pay close attention to your pace—what feels doable, what feels like too much, and what’s just beginning to come into view. Therapy with me isn’t about rushing to answers. It’s more like sitting together in the fog—letting our eyes adjust, noticing what’s actually there, and finding a way forward from that place.

We’re living in a time shaped by constant pressure, instability, and systems that actively overwhelm, disconnect, and leave people carrying more than is theirs alone. Many people are holding not just their own pain, but layers of grief, anger, urgency, spiritual disorientation, and the impact of systems—white supremacy culture, capitalism, and forms of spiritual or religious harm—that pull people out of connection with themselves and each other—systems that are not accidental, but maintained by those in power because disconnection serves them. I approach healing as both personal and collective work. Together, we sort through what’s yours, what was shaped by the world around you or passed down through generations, and what you want to carry forward or leave behind. Over time, this work often becomes about building a steady, intentional relationship with yourself and others—one that can hold complexity, choice, and connection to what matters.

Specialties

• trauma & complex trauma (C-PTSD)

• identity exploration (gender, sexuality, neurodivergence, life transitions)

• relationship dynamics & conflict (partners, CNM/polyamorous

• relationships, platonic relationships, family of origin and chosen family)

• neurodivergence (autism, ADHD, sensory processing)

• substance use (harm reduction & abstinence-based recovery)

• anxiety, depression & chronic stress

• burnout (including neurodivergent burnout and burnout in

• caregiving/service roles)

• grief & loss

• medical trauma & chronic illness

• intergenerational & systemic trauma

• religious trauma, spiritual harm & meaning-making

• military veterans, first responders, & institutional trauma (including

• incarceration and re-entry)

• high sensitivity (HSP)

• self-worth, shame & inner criticism

• life transitions & direction

Modalities:

• relational & collaborative therapy

• somatic therapy / nervous system regulation (polyvagal-informed)

• trauma-informed & complex trauma work

• neurodivergent-affirming / neuro-informed care

• systemic & context-aware therapy

• parts work (IFS-informed)

• attachment-based therapy

• DBT (skills-based support for emotion regulation & distress tolerance)

• CBT (when structure and clarity are helpful)

• mindfulness & embodiment practices

• spirituality & meaning-making (for those who resonate)

• harm reduction & abstinence-based recovery support

• liberation-oriented / decolonial approaches

• transpersonal frameworks