I’m Sam. In addition to being a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist (#142532), I am a very casual long-distance runner and longtime practitioner of yoga. I believe in the power of a compassion witness as we explore our inner depths as people and fellow travelers. As Ram Dass put it so well, “there is horror and beauty in everything.”

I am a therapist who stutters [neurodivergent] and believes in imperfect recovery and radical Love (and boundaries too, which are not innate to ethnocentric cultures like the one I grew up in). I honor your unique experiences with difference, disability, and your particular life and social challenges. I believe that we can acknowledge that we ARE special, without taking anything away from others.

I lived the first half of my adult life on the east coast, graduating from NYU, and prepared to do whatever it took to be a writer at Rolling Stone. I did intern there but after several false starts, lefts instead of rights, and a Master’s in Media, I made my way to Los Angeles where I graduated from Antioch University with a Master’s in Clinical Psychology.

I see things through a post-modern existential lens, which means I explore how to dismantle conditioning, beliefs, and attitudes that keep people fearful and stuck, while empowering you to take responsibility for the choices in your life to ultimately feel more free.

This work centers around the ability to heal shame, renew self worth, and uncover our deepest wishes and dreams.

PROFESSIONAL LICENSES

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, License #142532

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

New York University, B.A. Journalism

Antioch University, M.A. Clinical Psychology

Boston University, M.S., Mass Communication

Yogala Studio, Echo Park, CA, 200HR Yoga Teacher Training Certification

Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Health Coach Certification

Board of Directors, Volunteer, National Stuttering Association

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

PHP and IOP Therapist, Sutter Mills Peninsula Medical Center, San Mateo

Clinical Team Lead and Clinician, Telecare County Services, Oakland

Primary Therapist and Family Therapist, Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services

Therapist, Duffy’s Napa Valley, Calistoga

Therapist Trainee, Southern California Counseling Center