My Background
Education, Licensure, Certification and Training
I am Amy Luzar (she/her). I grew up in Shaker Heights and graduated from Shaker Heights High School in 1988. I received my Bachelor's Degree from The University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1993, and went on to receive a Master's Degree from The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in 1997, with concentrations in Children, Youth, and Families and School Social Work.
Licensure:
- State of Ohio Licensed Independent Social Worker with Supervisory designation since 1997
- State of Ohio Certified School Social Worker since 1997
- New York Social Work License since 2021
- Illinois Social Work License since 2021
- NASW member since 1997
Since 1997, I have worked on multi-disciplinary teams in schools, community mental health and social service agencies, an intensive treatment center with multiple levels of care, and now in private practice.
Work History:
- Treatment Foster Care Manager - Beech Brook - 1997
- School Social Worker - Cleveland Hts.-University Hts. Schools - 1998-2000
- Intake Worker - Bellefaire JCB - 2000-2001
- Child and Family Therapist - Neighborhood Family Practice - 2001-2007
- Ind/Family Therapist - Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders/The Emily Program - 2007-2017
- Private practice - Owner - 2017 to present
- CWRU - Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
Field Instructor - July 2022 to present
- Visiting Faculty - The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland (GIC) - 2001 to 2022
- Co-facilitator of the Ongoing Personal Growth Group - GIC - 2001 to 2022
Post Graduate Clinical Training:
- Couple and Family Therapy Training Program - GIC - 2000
- Gestalt Faculty Development Program in Group Facilitation - GIC - 2012
- Clinician's Advanced Training Program with Certification Option (CATCO) - GIC - 2017
- Certified Gestalt Psychotherapist by GIC's CATCO Training Faculty - 2017
- NASW Certified Anti-Oppression Informed Practitioner Training - 2018
- Working with Physical Process Training Program - GIC - 2019
- Gestalt Development Program - GIC - completed January 2022
Mediaton Training:
- Fundamentals of Mediation - August 2024 - Ohio Supreme Court (15.25 hours)
- Specialized Family and Divorce Mediation - September 2024 - Ohio Supreme Court (28.25 hours)
I draw from:
Gestalt Therapy - Gestalt therapy takes into account the whole individual and is concerned with the obstacles to the functioning of the whole in the context of the present. Gestalt is a relational therapy. The therapeutic relationship is an essential ingredient to personal growth and meaningful work in therapy. This has the potential to extend into one's broader relationships and life.
Evidence-Based Treatment - I have extensive training in and draw from evidence-based treatment models including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Maudsley Family-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders (FBT), and SPACE - Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions.
