Samantha’s journey into the mental health field began at Concordia University-Nebraska where she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology, behavioral science, and criminal justice. She has always had a passion for sports and has worked with athletes in various capacities. While at Concordia, she was a part of the Concordia Dance Team, worked in the Athletic Training Room, and volunteered with the Concordia Track Team. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, Samantha began working for a crisis and suicide prevention hotline as a crisis counselor while completing her master’s in clinical mental health counseling at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. While working as a crisis counselor, Samantha gained experience working with individuals in emotional distress that were struggling with thoughts of suicide. During her time at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Samantha interned with the UNO Athletics Department as an Academic Assistant and completed a clinical internship with Creighton University’s Student Counseling Services.
These experiences have taught Samantha about the uniqueness of life as an athlete, the pressures of life changes, and the importance of caring for mental health. She is passionate about working with individuals that may be struggling with various life issues such as life transitions, relationships, self-esteem, stress, and coping. She works to acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of the clients with whom she works. Samantha places an emphasis on creating a safe space for individuals to feel more comfortable coming to session as their genuine selves. She uses a Cognitive Behavioral approach taking into consideration how each individual’s experiences have impacted how one may think about and respond to various life stressors. Working from this approach, Samantha works with each client to challenge their negative thinking and beliefs, learn skills to regulate emotions, and identify changes they would like to make. Samantha has experience working with children, teens and adults struggling with anxiety, depression, eating disorders/body image issues, trauma, ADHD, suicide, and self-harm. She is looking forward to continuing to gain experience working with clients and developing professionally as a clinician.