Meet Dr. Amy Rice

“I feel it is a deep privilege to share space with patients and build the precious relationship that allows for movement through pain towards meaning.” 

Who I am in life is who I bring to our therapeutic relationship. Having grown up in a small rural province in Canada and transitioned to living in cities all over North America, I bring a grounded and diverse perspective to our sessions. With a passion for supporting prospective parents and families through pregnancy and into parenthood, I pursued a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology in Southern California, specializing in Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology, and furthered my education by completing a PhD degree in Clinical Psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. In a comfortable and supportive atmosphere, that incorporates just the right amount of humor, I offer a personalized approach that incorporates several therapeutic modalities such as psychodynamic theory, CBT, somatic work, and person-centered therapy.  

My interest in supporting new and expecting families began as early as I can remember. However, it was working in a childbirth education center in Boston, Massachusetts in my early 20s that solidified my deep passion for wanting to better support the life changing transition from preconception through birth and postpartum.  I was lucky enough to discover a small specialty counseling psychology graduate program in Southern California that offered the only PhD program in the world with a concentration in Pre-Perinatal Psychology. The faculty of professors during my tenure consisted of leaders in the field of prenatal and perinatal psychology and health including midwives, doulas, MDs, psychologists, sex therapists, and somatic healers. 

Working and living in San Francisco I feel a deep responsibility to provide culturally informed care to those I serve. I identify as an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community and have specialized training in the area of transgender and gender non-binary clinical issues. Prenatal and postpartum mental health services are often lacking in providing gender neutral inclusive treatment approaches and as a licensed psychologist I strive to provide a therapeutic environment that affirms the experience of members of the transgender and gender non-binary community. In addition to being a licensed clinical psychologist I am also a certified perinatal mental health counselor (PMH-C). Perinatal work is about supporting not just the expectant or new mother, but also providing inclusive support to the whole family system. It is a joy of mine to work with new and expecting fathers as they transition into the phase of parenthood. When my second child was born our male obstetrician who had delivered my daughter made a point of stating upwards of 20% of men will experience postpartum depression. This common yet highly under-recognized condition can have adverse impacts on early attachment leading to feelings of depression, anger/ agitation, and isolation. As a mother of two young children, I understand on a deep personal level the joy and also the overwhelm that comes from the shift into parenthood, and I'm here to help. 

Trainings

• Certified Perinatal Mental Health Counselor, PMH-C

• Postpartum Support International (PSI) Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Training 

• PSI/2020 Mom Maternal Mental Health Certification Course 

• American Society of Reproductive Medicine Certification: Basic Infertility

• Transgender & Gender Non-Binary (TGNB): Clinical Issues and Treatment Strategies 

• 2023 Legal and Ethical Dilemmas in Perinatal Mental Health Conference: Reproductive Justice

• DONA Birth Doula 20-hour Training