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