About Amanda

Amanda Connell

Clinical Psychologist
BPsych; BAppSci(Maths); BSci Hons (Psych);  MPsych(Clin)
Cert IV Breastfeeding Education (Counselling)

Amanda Connell is a clinical psychologist working at the intersection of infant feeding, mental health and early parenting. For too long, discussions around parental mental health have pitted parents against their children in the battle for happiness. Amanda passionately believes there is enough love for everyone. She champions the mother-baby connection, bringing fierce compassion to perinatal mental health. Her human-centred approach empowers families by providing insightful, practical, and relatable information and support.

Warm. Wise. Courageous.

Amanda founded Spilt Milk Psychology in 2016 with one goal – to start a revolution. With a strong online presence and large following among both parents and professionals, Spilt Milk Psychology is redefining the way that parents access high quality, professional information and support in the modern world.

A self-confessed clever-clogs with an embarassment of qualifications, Amanda believes that parents should be respected as capable, wise and courageous, and deserve access to intelligent, evidence-based support. But she also knows that often this information can be presented in wanky, academic terms, making it indecipherable to society at large. Amanda delights in translating the complexities of academic rhetoric into insightful, accessible and relateable content without ever making people feel like she is talking down to them.

Not one to shy away from difficult topics, Amanda is a sought after speaker on topics including maternal rage, breastfeeding difficulties, thoughts of harm and suicidality in the perinatal context.

Therapeutic approach

Amanda Connell is an endorsed Clinical Psychologist registered with the Psychology Board of Australia. Amanda completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, before returning to Queensland to complete her Psychology Honours and a Master of Clinical Psychology at the University of Queensland (UQ). Amanda is a board-approved supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia.

Amanda is passionate about perinatal mental health, and supporting families through the challenges of pregnancy and early parenting. She has also completed additional training in birth trauma, breastfeeding, feeding disorders, and managing unsettled and distressed babies.

In private practice, Amanda predominantly works with expecting and new parents and their families experiencing difficulties in the perinatal period, including:

  • coming to terms with infertility (primary and secondary)
  • ongoing fertility difficulties
  • non-directive pregnancy counselling
  • miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal loss (and pregnancy/parenting after loss)
  • birth trauma
  • antenatal anxiety and depression
  • parenting NICU and premature babies
  • transition to parenthood
  • infant sleep and settling
  • feeding difficulties
  • coping with an unsettled baby
  • parenting in the pre-school years

Amanda adapts her therapeutic approach to suit the needs of each individual and unique family she sees, drawing on the latest science from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), attachment theory and research on compassion and mindfulness. Above all, she values the relationship she has with her clients and respects their need to work through issues at their pace.