My Approach

I am passionate about creating inclusive, supportive spaces for teens & young adults in all their seasons.

My approach is thoughtful, conversational, and attuned. I show up with warmth and curiosity, not as an expert on anyone’s life but as an ally. I offer reflections, questions, and tools to support people in reconnecting with their internal sense of safety, self-awareness, and power. The therapy space becomes a container for young people to explore patterns, feelings, and use somatic tools to process experiences on a deeper level at a pace that feels right to them. I bring both compassion and a gentle push, always for the sake of the person’s goals.

I integrate tools from narrative therapy, parts work (Internal Family Systems), & somatic and mindfulness techniques. I also sometimes bring in DBT & CBT tools when it feels appropriate, particularly for building a toolbox for navigating the world. I draw from relational-cultural models, psychodynamic & attachment theories, & trauma-responsive & strengths-based perspectives to guide my work. Ultimately, I prioritize tapping into strengths, honoring experiences & wisdom, & working collaboratively. With teens & young adults, I prioritize consent, transparency, & creativity.

The therapy space is one in which all clients should feel cared for & able to be brave, which calls for me to be mindful of managing the power dynamic that exists between the therapist & a client. I respect each person’s lived experiences, honor feedback & accountability, lean into discomfort, repair rupture, practice cultural humility, & am dedicated to my own (un)learning processes to work towards anti-racism. Additionally, I seek out supervision around working with queer, trans, & gender-expansive clients, exploring privilege, & maintaining ethics & competence in private practice.

Education/Trainings

  • Master of Social Work, Trauma Informed Clinical Mental Health Concentration - Boston College

  • Liberation Eating Disorder Education Foundations Training - Alameda County Behavioral Health, 2024-25

  • Integrative somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate, The Embody Lab (in progress)

Welcome! I’m Samantha.

I’m a clinical social worker and therapist born and raised in the Bay Area, currently living in Oakland. My roots are in 4+ years of case management with refugees and immigrants and community health work, mostly here in the Bay, grounding me in a passion for providing personalized, individual allyship and support. I specialize in individual psychotherapy with young adults, previously within university counseling and community mental health settings across various levels of care.

  • I am a mixed race (white, Asian American), queer, cis woman. I continue to navigate trauma recovery & chronic pain in my own life. These identities guide me in facilitating therapy from a blended lens grounded in curiosity & with an appreciation for nuance

  • I got my Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Trauma Informed Mental Health from Boston College and hold a Bachelor of Arts in Medical Anthropology & Global Health. Before this, I completed a public health fellowship at Bay Area community health centers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was the spark for going to social work school. My education shapes how I prioritize accessibility & dignity in mental health care today

  • I work from a relational, strengths-based, trauma-responsive framework that incorporates culturally-aware care into my sessions

  • I specialize in therapy with teens & young adults — particularly immigrants, folks in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, & those who are navigating the impacts of trauma

  •  I have always been interested in how trauma shapes how we relate to ourselves, to others, & to the world

  • I adore reading, tending to plants, crafting, sitting near water, & being in the company of animals