Samantha Lumula is licensed in the state of California. She holds her perinatal mental health certification as well as a Masters in Special Education and multiple teaching credentials. Samantha specializes in working with individuals and couples experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, grief and those who are feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, and having a hard time adjusting to changes in their life. She especially enjoy working with women in the perinatal period, from deciding whether they want children, working through infertility and loss, pregnancy, and the delicate and exhausting postpartum period.She also enjoys helping clients navigate the difficult role of parenting and often draws from the 17 years she spent as a classroom teacher. Samantha is a mom, wife, short order cook, laundry connoisseur, dog mama, sometimes yogi, sometimes reader of novels, carpooling chauffeur, friend, therapist and so much more. She truly believes, and research has shown, that the relationship between the client and the therapist is one of the strongest predictors as to whether therapy will be helpful. That being said, she is relatable, warm, authentic, and truly loves working to help people bloom into their best self.Message to clientsI'm glad you are here. Beginning therapy can feel scary and intimidating, but I promise it is worth it. I create a warm, safe, inclusive space where you will be met with compassion, grace, and humor. I will walk alongside you while we explore the things holding you back from living as your truest most authentic self. I will help you understand how your past has created the pathways in your brain that keep you stuck repeating the same patterns and I will give you concrete tools on how to create new ways of being. I believe in teaching my clients how to treat themselves with love and compassion. I encourage them to look within from a lens of acceptance and curiosity to help them on their journeys of healing and growth. I wholeheartedly believe we all do the best with what we have at the time and work from that mindset when exploring our past and the challenges we have faced that sometimes hold us back from moving forward.Therapy has helped me through many different stages of my own life. From working through my parents divorce as a child, to helping choose my path in my adolescence, to issues with body image, to adjusting to life as a new parent, to couples therapy, to navigating postpartum depression and anxiety. I am passionate about helping others and find it a true honor and privilege to be able to walk alongside my clients as they discover their own authentic selves.