(she/her)
Hi! I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in South Florida with 16 years of clinical experience. I earned my undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and my graduate degree from Florida Atlantic University. I help women who are outwardly successful and inwardly carrying stress, anxiety, perfectionism, or old patterns that keep them from feeling fully at ease. Using an integrative blend of EMDR, IFS, CBT, and DBT, I help clients quiet the inner critic, heal the patterns underneath the performance, and build a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. I hold dual addiction credentials (MCAP, ICADC) and work in English and Spanish. I see clients in-person in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach, and virtually throughout Florida.
The first session is about getting to know you and getting a clear picture of what's bringing you in. We'll talk about what's working, where you feel stuck, what's been tried before, and what you actually want to change. I ask direct questions and you share what you're ready to share. You won't be asked to perform or overshare, just to be honest. Together we'll create a plan that feels both supportive and doable. Many clients leave the first session feeling lighter, clearer, and hopeful about what's ahead.
Insight alone doesn't create change. My work goes where the patterns actually live, so change holds. With 16 years of clinical experience, including 7 years as a Clinical Director in partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, I bring real clinical depth to the work. I hold advanced EMDR training, am a Florida Qualified Supervisor, and former adjunct faculty at FAU. As the work progresses, clients describe the anxious loop quieting, the inner critic easing its grip, and a sense of finally feeling at home in themselves.
I work with women seeking EMDR, trauma therapy, or support for the patterns that often sit underneath: perfectionism, burnout, anxiety, self-doubt, and attachment wounds. Many of my clients are the ones who hold everything together. Their lives look stable, successful, even enviable from the outside, while internally it feels effortful. Treatment focuses on lasting change, not indefinite therapy, through weekly sessions or concentrated EMDR intensives. I keep a small, focused caseload.
EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a core approach in my practice. It's an evidence-based method for resolving past experiences, quieting anxiety, and shifting self-worth patterns at the root, not just on the surface. For many of my clients, EMDR is what finally moves the patterns that talk therapy alone hasn't shifted: the perfectionism, the over-functioning, the inner critic, the stress that runs underneath the competence. I integrate EMDR with other evidence-based approaches so change is structural, not situational.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT to help clients interrupt the thought patterns driving anxiety, perfectionism, and self-criticism. Together we identify the loops, challenge them, and build healthier ways of thinking and responding. CBT is especially effective for the over-functioning, over-thinking mind and works well integrated with EMDR and IFS for deeper structural change.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
DBT teaches concrete skills for managing intense emotions, tolerating distress, and navigating relationships more effectively. We work across four areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. This is especially useful for clients whose internal experience feels bigger or more intense than what the outside world sees.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS is a parts-based approach that recognizes we all have different internal voices: the inner critic, the perfectionist, the part that numbs out, the part that holds old pain. Rather than silencing these parts, we work to understand what each one is protecting and help them step back so your core self can lead. IFS is particularly powerful for women whose inner critic and protective patterns have been running the show.
3 ratings with written reviews
November 26, 2025
Made me feel very comfortable. Easy to talk to. Highly intelligent! Figured me out very quickly. Looking forward to working with her .
July 15, 2025
I've worked with Samantha for about three years now and she's always been an incredible person to talk to. She's caring, understanding, listens and understands you, and above all she is a genuinely kindhearted person. Samantha will advocate for you, help you work through life's toughest challenges, and provide or find the resources you need to thrive. I cannot emphasize enough how incredible she is and I hope you have the great pleasure of working with her; you WILL make your desired progress.
April 18, 2025
From the little time I've known Samantha I've found my sesh to be helpful, engaging, and being felt and understood by her. She listens really well too.