Steve Dennis | Program Policy Consultant

I first met Amanda following a fatal attack in Somalia in 2008. She arrived as head of the quick reaction support team. Even though I deployed to the program after the incident, her support to all staff including me was exemplary. Some years later, after being shot and kidnapped myself, Amanda’s articles were a strong source of support for my resulting PTSD. Humanitarian aid workers often neglect their own needs when focussing on assisting others. Amanda’s insights in those numerous articles were instrumental in breaking down disability stigma, building terminology related to my struggle, and sharing valuable tools to manage or resolve long-standing problems.

Beyond Amanda’s care to me, I have witnessed her support of others. A recent example is her request for my support to someone else. In my struggles with PTSD, I felt that my hope would die a little when I was turned away by others with a quick, “Sorry, I can’t help you.” I feel her referral to people throughout her network is a strong indication of a higher standard of client care. With Amanda’s vast experience in humanitarianism, intimate knowledge of trauma and recovery, and her longstanding engagement with support, I confidently recommend her.

Sameena Gul | Previous Country Director at War Child

Amanda provided much needed support to the team and me in the challenging context of Iraq. She pioneered staff well being across War Child UK country programmes and the staff highly appreciated her kind and gentle approach. Most recently a team member specifically mentioned to me how valuable Amanda’s support was. I wish her all the best!

Jeneen Schloz | CEO at Peoples Pharmacy

I have known Amanda for 20 years and have worked with her at United Way. Aside from being one of the most astute and articulate people I know, she is also by far one of the most dynamic and creative. She is a very strong leader, an excellent writer and a conscientious professional who will always go the extra mile to meet her goals and obligations. She would be an asset to any organization.

Bethuel Nyachienga | Mental Health Program Manager at Partners In Health

Amanda was my direct supervisor and mentor on MHPSS, who is keen to detail, professional and ethical in her work. She is always available, trainer, respectful and approachable. She is good in emergency mental health response, good trainer and psychologist.
Kaneisha Grayson | Founder at The Art of Applying & Author of  Be Your Own Boyfriend

When I decided to take a year off of dating and concentrate on forging a stronger relationship with myself, other high-vibration women, and God, I sought out a guide who had the kind of strength, serenity, and service-centered rock star power I wanted. I found Amanda, and I am so glad I did! For nearly a year now, I have reached out to her frequently for support, encouragement, guidance, and to share great news—of which I have plenty since teaming up with Amanda in the quest to achieve and maintain a life of joy and service.

Reading her memoir was a wonderful experience. It was engaging, moving, and I quoted parts of it out loud to myself as I processed the impact the words were having on me. I read the entire thing in two sittings and can’t wait to read the next instalment. This book is a great read for anyone who has experienced adolescent trauma and lived to tell about it—or for those seeking to empathize with and understand the complex realities of survivors through one woman’s story. I’m so glad to have found Amanda (or maybe she found me?!) and I am so excited to be a part of her sphere of spiritual abundance.

Jonathan Hughes | Manager, Latin American & Caribbean Partnerships Team at AmeriCares

Having both benefited from consultations with Amanda during and after my deployment to Liberia, West Africa for ebola response, and to Nepal after the 2015 earthquake, and having witnessed her thoughtful approach in the field, I would recommend Amanda for any organization looking for positive support for their staff in the field or for the facilitation of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support system strengthening. Amanda is exemplary in how MHPSS can be done respectfully and responsibly, even under the toughest circumstances. She is a fantastic program facilitator, considerate, responsive and respectful, and provides valuable insights to those that she interacts with in the MHPSS process. She has been a valued colleague from our very first interaction onward.
Anna Henderson | Therapist & Mother

As a friend and as a colleague I admire Amanda deeply. She has shown such strength and will to live and heal, that I can say she is one of the most inspiring people I know. Her creative, loving and powerful approach to life and healing is a blessing for our world today.

Dan Collison | Director of Programmes at War Child UK

Amanda transformed our organisation’s understanding of and approach to staff wellbeing.  Working internationally across very tough operating contexts (Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, DRC among others) we were aware that our provision for ongoing staff support and for critical incident response was really inadequate.   We recruited Amanda to shift our culture and practice away from one in which wellbeing and staff care were an occasional afterthought, to one where we put the issues at the centre of our organisation’s responsibility to staff and risk management approach.

Amanda travelled extensively across all of our country programmes, working in multiple cultures and unpredictable contexts, and also spent several weeks with our head office.  She gained trust.  She raised issues of stress management, mental health and wellbeing in a frank and accessible way.  She counselled people directly for ongoing stress, for critical incident trauma, and for day to day worries and problems.   She shone a compassionate and professional light on an issue that War Child did not really know how to address, and gave us language and tools to transform this aspect of the organisation. There has been a strong legacy impact of this work for War Child.  It was a serious contribution.

Fairchild McGough Dixon | Studio Account Executive at Design Within Reach

Amanda is an incredible team player, motivator and leader. Her positive energy and her keen insightful compassion offers lightness and caring to any group that she works with. She is an accomplished therapist who has helped countless people along the difficult path of recovering from tragedies, abuse, cultural bias, political disenfranchisement and vital assistance developing new and inspiring directions for their possible new future trajectories. She would be an asset to any company she cared to join and it was a great pleasure to work with her.

Nathalie Duveiller | Child Protection Specialist

Amanda is a thoughtful and professional advisor who makes you feel comfortable and guides you through the processes of identifying the sources of stress to improve your personal and professional well being. She is open and sensitive in her approach as she shares her experiences to build trust in the relationship. Whether in the workshops or the personal interviews my staff all expressed positive feedback from the exchanges and advice they received during her mission in DRC. Every organization would benefit greatly from her expertise and guidance to make their working environment more positive for their staff.

Lauren Valbert | Principal at Empowering Management

Over the last 8 years I have known Amanda and borne witness to her high level of professional skill in providing stellar Global Psychosocial Management and Staff guidance to large international organizations. She has the unique ability to think and act strategically, yet provide training and coaching with empathy and methodological expertise. Essentially Amanda has an innate sense of what needs to be done to raise organizations and their staff to the next level.

Kaz De Jong | Mental Health Advisor at MSF (Doctors without Borders)

Amanda Lee had been a member of the MSF Psychosocial Care Unit for several years. This unit address mental health and psychosocial problems among national and international staff. Amanda worked as consultant in this unit. She did a lot of field visits to address ongoing stress issues of the staff and was also involved in the support of staff after critical incidents. Amanda is a highly professional and qualified person and a loyal member of the unit.

Nina Saffuri | Director of Fundraising and Marketing at War Child UK

Amanda worked on a consultancy basis for War Child, with the challenge of starting up our wellbeing and staff care programme. Amanda travelled to all of our countries of operation in such a short space of time: speaking with colleagues; evaluating our existing processes; analysing our staff’s situation; launching a new peer to peer and individual care programme, and providing both group and 121 support, for those of us who wanted it. On a personal note, I worked very closely with Amanda this summer with 121 support, both face to face, and remote, and quite frankly I don’t know what I would have done without Amanda’s support. She holds a special place in my heart because my experience this summer was fully supported by her. I would strongly recommend Amanda on both a professional and personal support basis.

Adam Childs | Independent Non-Profit Organization Management Professional

Amanda works at the highest professional levels and is incredibly capable at what she does – she is productive – helping her clients make good and timely progress whilst being caring and compassionate. I have no hesitation in highly recommending Amanda.

Bert Schilte, M.D. | General Practitioner

I worked with Amanda Lee on a mission for Médecins Sans Frontières in the field. We worked under high pressure on a difficult assignment. I found her to be very engaged and committed to our project and can recommend her as a colleague at work.

Stephen M. | Blog Reader 

There is no such thing as “coincidence”. When I woke up this morning I found in my relatively newly created twitter account, that you favorited a comment of mine with respect to a Neale Donald Walsh quote. After looking into your blog, this has all touched me very deeply and I absolutely have to send a comment. I am 4 and a half years into recovery from drug addiction, alcoholism and every other form of addiction that one can imagine. This has been my life from the age of 14 to 52. 48 years of self destruction only to come out the other side with a keen desire to live and learn what life is about and my place in it. I have experienced so much and have a “need” to write about it and am trying to begin but so far have not started. So much to cover. Deaths, murders, drug dealing, running from feelings, sexual abuse on and on and on. I’m really ready for some positive in my life and presto !!!! there you are on my twitter. Thank you Amanda and thank you God.

Alexandre Becquevort | Country Director at War Child UK

It was a pleasure receiving Amanda in DRC in order to launch staff care programme in-country. The workshop she animated proved valuable to all participants, and the “one on ones” she had with each staff were very appreciated. She managed to rapidly build trust in a team of people coming from a culture where opening up to others about personal and professional problems is far from a given. I think I can speak in the name of the whole team by saying that we are looking forward to receiving her again, and benefiting from her priceless advices.