Staff Spotlight: Dr. Jaimie St. Ama

Dr. Jaimie St. Ama brings a unique perspective to Palm Beach Behavioral Health & Wellness, shaped by her military background and deep commitment to helping others. Inspired by an early experience studying trauma during her time in the Navy, she discovered her passion for psychology and has since dedicated her career to supporting children, teens, and families. With specialties in trauma, autism, and guiding clients who may feel lost or unsupported, Dr. St. Ama combines expertise with genuine care - helping her clients grow, adapt, and thrive.

‍What inspired you to pursue a career in mental health?
When I was in the military, I went to Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape school and I found out in the debriefing that psychologists were watching all of the mock prisoner of war torture to gather evidence for a study about trauma. I became fascinated and started looking into psychology. As cliché as it sounds, I always wanted to help people, but I thought I wanted to be an attorney and that experience changed my focus.

‍What’s your favorite part of working at PBBHW?
My favorite part of working at PBBHW is the team aspect and the different clinics we offer. I love that each of us has different specialties to help a wide range of clients. That also means if I am working with a client and I realize they need a different approach; I have a colleague in my office who can help them.

‍If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting therapy, what would it be?
Please make sure you feel like you could connect with your new therapist. You will be on a journey, and it is really important to feel comfortable with whoever you will be working with during that time.
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What do you love most about working with children, teens, or families?
I love watching my clients grow, adapt, overcome, and thrive. I even love those tiny moments of challenge and success that my clients experience because I get to be a part of that with them.
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What’s one self-care practice you never skip?
My biggest self-care practice involves exercise, and I rarely miss unless I need to as part of my self-care.
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How do you unwind after a long day at work?
Honestly, after work, I like to listen to my audiobooks, binge some kind of show, and chat with my kids. Lately, we have been enjoying cult indie movies together and it has been really special since many of the movies are from my early adulthood. It is special to experience them with my kids.
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What’s a fun fact about you most people don’t know?
I was the first female Aviation Warfare Systems Operator radar instructor in the Navy.
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What motivates you on tough days?
My biggest motivation on tough days is finding little moments of joy. They are always there, sometimes you just need to look really closely.
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What’s your favorite quote or mantra right now?
Embrace the suck - I don’t know, I have been struggling with training for my current marathon, my son is leaving for college, I lost my father in October, and my daughter is entering high school, it has been hard but I find it empowering to just embrace and go with it rather than fight it.
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What area of mental health are you most passionate about?
I am most passionate about the areas of trauma, autism, and working with those clients who have never had “good” therapy or the families really struggling to find the right resources and feeling lost and unsupported.
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Do you prefer the beach or the mountains - and why?
Beach. I love the sound of the waves, smell of the beach, sun, sand, fish and marine life, and paddle boarding.
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What’s a small joy in your daily routine?
A small joy in my daily routine is the espresso I make every morning.
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What’s one thing you’ve learned from your clients?
I think I would say patience and strength. My clients challenge me to find patience because that is not my favorite virtue and strength is contagious.
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If you weren’t in this field, what would you be doing instead?
Law and if I am honest, I play around with going to law school at least once every other year.

With her resilience, expertise, and heartfelt commitment to her clients, Dr. St. Ama is a vital part of PBBHW, and we’re honored to showcase the passion and perspective she brings to our team.

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