About SCCS

The mission of Second City Counseling Services (SCCS) is to foster therapeutic connections that cultivate a healthier lifestyle for clients and in turn, strengthen their relationships, families, and communities.

The vision of SCCS is to provide quality counseling services to individuals, couples, and families, including low- or no-income clients who may have difficulty obtaining counseling services.

Owner: Amanda L. Hess, MSc, CGT, LMFT, LMHC, MBACP

Ms. Hess has over 10 years of experience in the mental health field, which includes working in a psychiatric hospital, a substance abuse treatment facility, the Child Welfare Services system, the military community, and an outpatient grief support program. She currently volunteers with O’ahu Search and Rescue in her free time.

Ms. Hess was part of the inaugural delegation to Rwanda in 2015 for NBCC’s Mental Health Facilitator training and returned to Rwanda in 2016 for Global Engagement Institute’s Multicultural Trauma Treatment training.

Ms. Hess has written for the Hawaiian Islands Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and Context, the magazine for family therapy and systemic practice in the UK. She has also been featured on Hawai’i’s KUMU 94.7FM. She is a Certified Gottman Therapist and is trained in Culture-Centered Disaster Mental Health Counseling.

Education

High School

San Dimas High School

San Dimas, CA / 1999

College

Chaminade University of Honolulu

Honolulu, HI

AA, Liberal Arts / 2006

BA, Magna Cum Laude, Psychology / 2007

Graduate School

Chaminade University of Honolulu

Honolulu, HI

Master of Science in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Marriage & Family / 2012

Licenses & Certifications

Licensed Mental Health Counselor / 2014

National Certified Counselor / 2014

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist / 2017

Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy / 2018

Certified Disaster Mental Health Counselor / 2020

Adult & Youth Mental Health First Aid / 2021

Mental Health Wilderness First Aid / 2021

Certified Gottman Therapist / 2022

Professional Affiliations

American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy; (American) National Board for Certified Counselors; British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy; Hawaiian Islands Association for Marriage & Family Therapy; International Association for Counselling

Professional Interests

Attachment-based Therapy; Disaster Mental Health; Gottman Method Couples Therapy; International/Transcultural Counseling; Remote & Rural Mental Health; Schema Therapy; Telehealth/Distance Counseling; Theraplay