St. Louis Teen Therapist Samantha Ferrarra LMSW, Anxiety Specialist
Here at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, our therapists are amazing! We have a great team dedicated to helping kids, teens, and college students learn more about managing their anxiety and anger or many other concerns like stress, trauma, life transitions, school, perfectionism, etc. We’re committed to tailoring our approach to you!
It can be overwhelming to chose a therapist for your child. To help you in your search, we’ve interviews one of our therapists, Samantha Ferrarra, LMSW, to help you get to know her better and what therapy with Samantha looks like. (And if your teen is unsure about meeting with someone, having them read these posts can help them feel more comfortable with their decision.)
Why did Samantha decide to become a therapist?
Samantha became intrigued by how the profession of social work has a unique ability to enact and be proactive in social change and advocacy, while working closely with individuals to improve their lives and well-being — leading her to become a therapist and landing at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis!
What’s Samantha’s favorite part about counseling?
Samantha loves being able to connect with clients during the vulnerable times of their lives. She does this by assisting her clients in navigating challenges and issues while empowering the client to make changes to better their daily functioning and quality of life.
Who is Samantha’s ideal client?
“My ideal client would be a teen or college age student, who may need assistance in navigating stressors and anxiety related to life changes or life milestones. This client and I may explore the history of trauma or maladaptive coping skills that have provided difficulty in overcoming these adversities and strong emotions. The emotions or maladaptive coping skills may lead to shame, guilt, anger, etc. that need to be processed in order to better understand reactions. This client may disclose trauma, whether recent or prior.”
How would Samantha describe her specialty to new clients?
Samantha’s speciality is assisting the client in exploring underlying or unprocessed issues that may be driving symptoms of anxiety, depression, and/or anger. Trauma, shame, guilt, and identity exploration are some examples of what these issues are and can be deeply rooted, causing all sorts of unwanted things. Samantha helps her clients get to the bottom of whatever it is in order to work it out and provide relief!
What does Samantha’s first session look like?
Samantha really focuses on getting to know and understanding her clients and their concerns, while allowing them to get comfortable with her during the first session. She wants her clients to enjoy the first session, and in general, therapy with her!
“Typically, I spend some time in the first session discussing confidentiality concerns, introduction of myself, brief risk assessment, discussion of important policies, and beginning to build rapport with clients.
I often let clients guide first sessions to better understand their values and strengths. I attempt to discuss the reason for therapy services and get their perspective on their willingness or want for services, especially if referral is coming from parents. If clients are avoidant, ambivalent, or hesitant to engage, I often sway the first session to focus on topics they enjoy (i.e support systems, hobbies, etc.). Depending on the presentation of the client, the session may end with creating a safety plan.”
What does Samantha love to do in her free time?
Samantha loves to pick up a good book and read or spend time enjoying the outdoors with her dog!
If Samantha wasn’t a therapist, she would be…
Samantha says she would work with schools to become a crossing guard.
“You’re involved in children's day to day routine, get to interact with them briefly, and watch them grow and change through the years.”
Or, she’d like to think she would be working with a non-profit related to harm reduction efforts and education.
How do I connect with Samantha for child counseling, anxiety counseling, trauma counseling, or therapy for teens?
The first step is to schedule a free 15 minute call to learn more about Compassionate Counseling St. Louis. You’ll talk to our intake coordinator briefly about what’s going on, get a chance to ask any questions you may have, and then book an appointment with Samantha or one of our other amazing therapists.
Curious to learn more about anxiety therapy for kids, teens, and college students in St. Louis? Wondering if you need to connect with a therapist in St. Louis? Compassionate Counseling St. Louis specializes in anxiety therapy for teens, kids, and college students, along with partnering with parents through parent coaching - basically therapy for parents here in St. Louis. We’re located in Clayton and work with clients throughout the St. Louis region. To schedule a free phone consultation, please use our contact page.
