Who We Are

Stephanie Crane, LMSW, CIHC

Stephanie Crane is a licensed therapist and certified health coach. She was inspired to create Amani Life Counseling in 2013 after returning from a mission trip to Africa, which totally changed her life. During this trip, she learned the value of living a simple life, one filled with peace and joy and gratitude. The word “Amani” is Swahili for “peace”, and Stephanie created Amani Life Counseling to help bring this sense of peace and joy into the lives of her clients who were dealing with anxiety, depression and an overall lack of joy.

Stephanie is a single mother of two boys, 17 year old Joshua and 25 year old Justin. She also lives with three cats and two dogs, and the two dogs come to the office with her most days to help bring a sense of calm to her clients who all adore Calvin and Calypso. Stephanie became a certified personal trainer and a health coach and incorporates many healthy living strategies into her sessions with her clients, as the correlation between physical health and mental well-being cannot be underestimated. Stephanie believes in using whatever approach is going to be most beneficial- cognitive behavioral (CBT), dialectical behavioral (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) for trauma reprocessing.

Stephanie has over 30 years of clinical experience working in all kinds of settings- schools, hospitals, CMH, managed care, crisis intervention, outpatient settings, inpatient settings, and autism programs- and she loves working with children, teens and adults who are dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, special needs parenting, relationship issues, work/life balance and life transitions. Stephanie is available for telehealth, sessions in person at the office, or “walk-n-talks” at a local wooded area.

When Stephanie is not seeing clients, you can find her at the gym lifting weights, doing yoga, or working in her garden. She also volunteers at a local farm one moring per week and absolutely loves goats, donkeys and all the other farm animals she gets to feed and take care of.

Stephanie is available to take clients with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Care Network, HAP, Aetna, UHC/Optum, Lyra EAP, Grow Counseling EAP or out-of-network/Private pay. She is licensed in Michigan and in Texas to see clients. Stephanie sees clients through telehealth, at the office in downtown Farmington, or for Walk -n- Talks!

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Taj Edwards, LMSW

Taj Edwards is the mother of two children, one who is a recent college grad and currently working in New York City, and the other who is a sophmore in college. She is a licensed master level social worker with over 25 years of experience working with children, teens and adults of all ages.

Taj has experience working with depression, anxiety, life transitions, parenting challenges and trauma. She has experience working in both private and non-profit settings, CMH agencies, hospitals, schools and employee assistance programs. Taj has extensive experience working with educationally exceptional children in the capacity of a school social worker. She uses strengths-based, research-supported treatment modalities and provides a safe and confidential virtual environment for individuals seeking counseling. Taj is available for telehealth sessions only at this time.

Taj is available to take clients with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Care Network, Lyra EAP, Modern Health EAP or out-of-network/Private pay.

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Jill Maynard, MA, SCL, LPC

Hi! I’m Jill. I’ve been a therapist for over 20 years. I have my Masters in Counseling from Oakland University, and I have a post-masters in School Counseling also from Oakland University. My bachelors degree is in family/community services with an emphasis in children services from Michigan State University.

I have experience working with clients on anxiety, depression. career and life transitions, as well as relationship issues. I wok with clients ages 8 and up. I like to use CBT as well as client-focused therapy and I’m currently taking appointments via telehealth. When I’m not working with my clients to help them the best that I can, I spent time with my family and friends as well as my golden retriever and six cats. I also enjoy the outdoors and going to concerts.

Jill is available to take clients with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Care Network, Lyra EAP, Aetna or out-of-network/Private pay. She is available for telehealth or in-person sessions.

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Melissa Olsen

Hi my name is Melissa.

Professionally I have a BA in psychology from the University of Missouri Kansas City and a Masters in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University. I have held licenses in wellness coaching as well as sexual assault victim advocacy in the state of Missouri. For the past 15 years I've worked as a mental health social worker both for non profit services and for private insurance. In my down time I love to travel with my family and explore new places. My husband I love to attend ghost tours in each new place we visit. We are hoping to travel more next year with our son who was born earlier this year.

Expect a call from Melissa if you have not scheduled an appointment in some time or if there are any issues with your insurance or credit card. Melissa will be available to help with all things administrative and can be reached at Melissa@amanilifecounseling.com .

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