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, 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 Medical Reserve Corps and O’ahu Search and Rescue.
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 participating provider with the Give an Hour program, the Theraplay Institute, and the Gottman Referral Network. She is trained in Culture-Centered Disaster Mental Health Counseling and is currently participating in certification training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, using Gottman Method Therapy in her work.
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
Professional Affiliations
American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy; (American) National Board for Certified Counselors; British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy; (British) Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice; British Psychological Society; Hawaiian Islands Association for Marriage & Family Therapy
Professional Interests
Attachment Theory; Disaster Mental Health; Gottman Method Couples Therapy; Remote & Rural Mental Health; Schema Therapy; Telehealth / Distance Counseling; Theraplay
Second City Counseling Services 