Sam Gonzalez, LMSW

NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

Hi, you can call me Sam 

My 12+ years of clinical experience has been working with children and families in a variety of settings (school, in-home, crisis work, outpatient, and groups). I am open to working with any population but specialize with ages 5-30.

You will find that I am a very genuine, down-to-earth clinician, and that I relate very well to youth. I love to incorporate things besides talking into my sessions if clients are interested including play, crafts, games, being in nature, going for walks, sports, yoga, meditation, etc.

Through years of working with various talk therapies I’m coming to realize their limitations and am now incorporating more energy work into my sessions if clients are open to it. I’m especially passionate about tapping on acupressure points to calm the nervous system and heal trauma. Spirituality is also very important to me and I am happy to talk more about this if you are interested. Everything is up to you. I can offer ideas and insights from many angles but ultimately what works for you is what we will focus on.

I focus a lot with clients on self-reflection, self-discovery, and self-awareness, because that is how we grow. The mind-body connection is so important and so I will assist you with not only being aware of your thoughts but also aware of your feelings and body sensations. The key is being able to notice what’s going on early on so that you can handle it before it gets out of control.

See below for more detailed information on my background, therapies used, and areas of practice focus:

• I received my Bachelors in Social Work from Northern Michigan University and my Masters in

  Social work from University of Michigan. I am an LMSW- Licensed Masters in Social Work.

• I utilize many therapies including Existential, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT),

  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT),

  Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness, Solution-Focused,

  Strengths-Based, Play therapy, Psychoeducation, Energy Psychology, and Tapping.

• My practice focus areas include but are not limited to: anxiety, grief, PTSD & trauma, LGBTQ+, healthy relationships, mood regulation, parenting, stress management, anger management, suicide and self-harm, bullying, self-esteem, divorce, communication, and depression.

Looking forward to meeting you!

-Sam