Meet Olivia

Olivia Riches Ambs is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MH14344). She has been seeing clients since 2010. Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Minor in Cognitive Science from the University of Central Florida. She received her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Rollins College. Olivia graduated with honors and received the Outstanding Graduate Counseling Student award, as voted by her peers and faculty. When presenting this award to Olivia at graduation, the program director stated, “Caring is core to her being and one of the many qualities that makes her such an effective mental health counselor.”

After graduation, Olivia spent two enriching years working in New York City, where she provided counseling services to a diverse and multicultural urban population in the Bronx. Olivia values diversity and is always seeking new opportunities to grow her cultural competencies. She also appreciates the importance of advocacy for her clients, especially minority populations. When she was President of the Central Florida Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (CFAMFT) from 2017 to 2018, her mission was to increase membership among members of the Black community. 

Olivia sees individuals (18+) and specializes in women’s issues, trauma, anxiety disorders and relationship issues (including attachment, family of origin, parenting and relationship with the self). Additionally, Olivia has experience and training in working with depression; grief and loss; identity development at all stages of life; life transitions/adjustment difficulties; racial, ethnic, and cultural issues; and struggles related to one’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

In addition to her counseling background, Olivia spent several years working in research. This has given her a great appreciation for using evidenced-based practices when working with her clients. She is EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Certified. Research supports the use of EMDR to treat trauma and other mental health struggles by stimulating the brain’s natural healing capacities. In addition to EMDR, Olivia utilizes CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Ego State Therapy, Existential Therapy, Mindfulness techniques, Narrative Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy. 

Olivia has education, training, and experience in helping others to identify and resolve difficulties; however, she respects the fact that her clients are the experts in their own lives. Olivia is passionate about empowering individuals through the use of strength-based methodologies. She collaborates with clients to determine how their sources of distress can be diminished, while at the same time, increasing their sources of resilience.