Samantha Hacker
I'm a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Doctor of Pharmacy who believes healing begins when you feel truly seen, heard, and accepted. Through my practice, Your Grounded Path Therapy, I provide a warm, culturally responsive, LGBTQIA+ affirming space where clients can explore life's challenges without judgment.
I'm skilled at recognizing patterns, exploring underlying challenges, and helping clients gain insight while developing practical tools for meaningful change.
I specialize in trauma, anxiety, burnout, identity-related stress, and life transitions, integrating EMDR, somatic approaches, and evidence-based therapies tailored to your unique needs. My goal is to help you reconnect with yourself, build resilience, and move toward a more authentic, balanced, and fulfilling life.
First session
Your first session is an opportunity for us to get to know each other in a welcoming, judgment-free space. We'll explore what brings you to therapy, your experiences, current challenges, and what you hope to gain from our work together. I'll ask questions to better understand your emotional well-being, relationships, and personal goals, while giving you space to share at your own pace. There's no pressure to disclose everything right away or have all the answers. We'll begin identifying your strengths, discussing approaches that may be helpful, and developing a collaborative plan tailored to your needs. Most importantly, I want you to leave feeling heard, respected, and hopeful about the path ahead.
Strengths
I bring warmth, empathy, curiosity, and a nonjudgmental approach to every session, creating a space where you can feel safe being your authentic self. My background in both mental health counseling and pharmacy allows me to understand the connection between emotional and physical well-being through a holistic lens. I'm skilled at recognizing patterns, exploring underlying challenges, and helping clients gain insight while developing practical tools for meaningful change. I integrate EMDR, somatic approaches, and evidence-based therapies, tailoring each session to your individual needs, strengths, and goals. Above all, I value collaboration, cultural humility, and empowering you to move at your own pace toward lasting healing and growth.
Ideal clients
I work best with individuals who are navigating anxiety, trauma, burnout, identity-related stress, or life transitions and are seeking a deeper understanding of themselves. Many of my clients are LGBTQIA+ individuals, transgender and gender-expansive people, healthcare and helping professionals, or those who have spent years prioritizing others while neglecting their own needs. You may feel overwhelmed, disconnected, misunderstood, or stuck in patterns that no longer serve you. You don't need to have everything figured out or even know where to begin. Whether you're seeking healing from past experiences, healthier relationships, greater self-acceptance, or a renewed sense of purpose, I welcome your curiosity and willingness to explore change at your own pace. My goal is to help you feel more grounded, empowered, and free to live authentically.
Treatment methods
Culturally Sensitive Therapy
I use culturally responsive therapy to provide an affirming, inclusive, and collaborative environment that honors each client's cultural background, identity, lived experiences, and personal values. I recognize how race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, systemic oppression, discrimination, and cultural expectations can influence mental health and emotional well-being. Through cultural humility, intersectionality, and a strengths-based approach, I tailor interventions to each client's unique needs while supporting empowerment, authenticity, resilience, and healing.
Gender-affirming therapy
I provide affirming therapy that honors each client's identity, lived experiences, and unique journey toward authenticity and self-acceptance. My approach is culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and grounded in an understanding of how minority stress, discrimination, internalized stigma, and systemic barriers can affect mental health. I support transgender, nonbinary, gender-expansive, and LGBTQIA+ clients in navigating identity exploration, gender dysphoria, relationships, self-esteem, life transitions, and emotional well-being. . I recognize that LGBTQIA+ identities are not inherently pathological and that therapy should affirm each person's right to define their own identity and path toward well-being.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients develop psychological flexibility, manage difficult thoughts and emotions, and take meaningful steps toward living in alignment with their values. Through mindfulness, cognitive defusion, acceptance, and values-based interventions, I support clients in reducing avoidance, building emotional resilience, and responding more effectively to life's challenges. I often integrate ACT with CBT, EMDR-informed, and somatic approaches to address anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, and identity-related stress.
Location
Virtual sessions