Samantha Stein, PSyd

Most people seek therapy because they are experiencing discomfort in themselves and/or their relationships. They come because they feel sad or lack motivation or they have difficulty feeling calm and peaceful. They come because their relationship causes them distress or is not fulfilling. They come because they are unable to stop certain behaviors, or they lack passion for their chosen work. They seek therapy in order to alleviate these symptoms: They want to feel better. They want their relationships to be better. 

Over the years of my work as a psychotherapist, I have come to appreciate that most suffering is due to a disconnection from our true nature and what we value most. In other words, most conflict, avoidance, challenging moods, addictions, etc are all due to natural impulses that have become distorted because of a lack of alignment or proper development or trauma.

Instead of focusing on alleviating the pain or avoiding it, we must understand it. Our work together will ultimately relieve discomfort and improve relationships, but symptom relief will not be the goal of our work, it will be the the byproduct. In other words, our psychological pain and relationship discord, is a message that we are not in proper alignment with ourselves, each other, and the world. 

Our work together will focus on healing from those life experiences, and inviting you to take the risks to become who you really are. This will be the goal of our work together in therapy. 

If you and/or your partner(s) work with me, our work will be about finding your values from inside the suffering. It will not be about pain avoidance, it will be about building meaning and fulfillment. 

Once we are in alignment with our true nature and core values, and in reality about the values and nature of others, we are capable of being in true intimacy with ourselves, others, and the world. We will manifest the life and relationships we are capable of. Therein lies the key to transformation and happiness.

I have worked with people on many issues including:

• • creating/maintaining healthy, intimate relationships
  • couples therapy
  • spiritual growth
  • creativity
  • life transitions
  • issues related to gender identity and/or expression
  • issues related to sexuality, including but not limited to: sex and intimacy, performance, LGBTQI related issues, BDSM, polyamory, and open relationships
  • grief and loss (death, divorce, life changes, etc)
  • parenting
  • conflict resolution
  • infidelity
  • addiction, including sex addiction
  • paraphilias, including MAPS, and sex offending
  • codependency