Meet the Founder
Samantha Tramuta
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Licensed Addictions Counselor
Approach and honor emotional experiences, challenge destructive patterns, reach untapped potential—
and face reality with clarity.
Samantha has a unique way of connecting with those who have never really clicked with traditional therapy. Her clients have often learned to rely on fierce independence, rebelliousness, people-pleasing, emotional shut down, keeping it ‘surface level’, avoidance of intimacy, substance abuse, over-achieving, adrenaline-seeking, conflict & chaos, or any manner of escape to get them through life.
Escape mechanisms evolve so that humans can survive harsh conditions. Individuals, couples and families all build up walls that aim to protect them from difficult emotional experiences. For those who have endured trauma, constant conflict, high pressure career environments, chronically stressful experiences, or ignored their own needs for too long— Escape becomes their comfort zone— Until it starts to feel suffocating, limiting, or destructive.
Samantha’s track record of clinical excellence is rooted in therapy that balances down-to-earth connection, cutting edge techniques, and lived experience. She navigates complex family dynamics and highly defended clients with confidence, empathy and grit. Sam’s clients want a therapist who will be radically honest, keep them accountable, teach them to accept help and affection, believe in their inner worth when they can’t, and laugh at the absurdity of it all with them.
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My style in family therapy and consulting is assertive and comprehensive- I strive to become an integral piece of the family dynamic. I offer true wraparound service in concierge style- seeking to be consistently available for consultation, coaching and crisis intervention. In therapy I work to address attachment ruptures, build parenting skills, address ineffective communication, practice boundary and limit setting, navigate developmental changes, or work through mental health or substance use challenges. I can help navigate divorce, coparenting and parallel parenting with grace. I also work with parents trying to show up for their kids, excel at their career, and also be a human being with human emotions.
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I am a trained psychedelic therapist specializing in treating complex trauma, PTSD, substance abuse, and depression. I utilize Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy to help my clients face what they are avoiding, see a brand new perspective of their patterns, reach a new level of vulnerability, and truly integrate their therapy into real life change. I offer KAP in individual, group and retreat style options for powerful growth.
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I specialize in connecting with those who have never really clicked with therapy. I focus on learning to identify and express emotions effectively, allowing for vulnerability, and practicing buidling trust. We can navigate substance use and mental health challenges. We can work toward success academically or professionally. We can practice skills to stop self-sabotaging. We can build self-confidence and self-efficacy. And we can explore relationship dynamics and loneliness.
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Throughout my career I have ‘just clicked’ with male clients who have never found a trusted place to explore, identify, experience and express their emotions. I have a unique ability to connect with many who have found therapy ridiculous, unhelpful or unfulfilling in the past. I work on emotion avoidance, over-achieving, attachment issues, anger regulation, substance abuse, anxiety, trauma, conflict, and with specialty populations of first responders, veterans, and those affected by abusive programs in the Troubled Teen Industry.
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I work with with all types of goals regarding substance use- from those just starting to explore a possible concern, those seeking recovery or transitioning from residential treatment, or rebounding from a relapse. I take an attachment based approach to treating substance use, and incorporate education on the biology of use on the brain. My goal is to help clients stop avoiding and escaping, hold them accountable and challenge them to grow, shut down shame around their issues, and to learn how to enjoy a life free from self destructive patterns. I balance my lived experience in recovery with evidenced-based practice. Think ‘old-school recovery’ meets ‘new-school science’.
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I work with those who have experienced complex trauma that has profoundly impacted their abilty to experience emotions in a healthy way. Some of my most rewarding work is with those who dissociate, disconnect, avoid, and escape. Learning to allow fear and vulnerability in a trusted space empowers my clients to thrive. I am especially pasionate about helping those who grew up around constant conflict, survived traumatic or high-tension divorce or separation, have had long term exposure to loved ones with addiction issues, experienced childhood trauma such as abuse or neglect, survivors of correctional institutions, survivors of the troubled teen industry, and first responders.
A Message from Samantha
“ I hold so much respect for those bold enough to show up for therapy- because it’s really, really hard. I will challenge you to build your resilience and connect to your most present self. I will always bring to the table professional, dynamic, and high level services- because even if it’s hard, therapy should be worth it and it should work.”
Professional Background
Samantha has held executive and clinical leadership roles at high level residential treatment programs across the country. She has developed and accredited detox, residential, partial hospital, and intensive outpatient programs from the ground up. She’s trained and coached leaders, clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare providers.
In these roles, Samantha developed meaningful curriculum for adolescents and adults, provided intervention and education to family members of those in treatment, trained clinicians to provide top tier clinical services, and ensured these programs operated to the highest standard of excellence.
In clinical roles, Samantha has worked as a therapist in residential and intensive outpatient substance use treatment, diagnosing and treating severe and persistent mental illness, doing crisis work with first responders and in emergency departments, running a DBT based trauma treatment program, and treating dual diagnosis offenders in community corrections.
Samantha’s clinical experience made her an expert in differential diagnosis, crisis and conflict management, group facilitation, and family therapy. She’s trained in dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, structural family therapy, attachment theory, emotionally-focused therapy, and substance abuse. Samantha is also a trained psychedelic therapist with advanced certification in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Training & Education
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Licensed clinical social worker in Connecticut. Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Colorado.
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Licensed Addictions Counselor in Colorado. Advanced training in Motivational Interviewing, biology of substance abuse, tolerance and withdrawal, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use disorders.
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Certified in Psychedelic Therapy and Integration and advanced certification in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy. Training in Applied Mindfulness for Psychedelic Therapists, Trauma Informed Psychedelic Therapy, Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration, Intoxication and Dissociation in Psychedlic Therapy, MDMA Assisted Therapy Research and Psilocybin Assisted Therapy Research.
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Advanced training and competence in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, risk assessment and crisis management, differential diagnosis of mental health disorders, Attachment Based Family Therapy, Structural and Strategic Family Therapy, Cognitive Enhancement Therapy, Seeking Safety.
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Samantha has trained, mentored and provided clinical supervision to LCSW and LPC candidates in Colorado and Connecticut. She has supervised and trained Licensed Addictions Counselors in Colorado. She has supervised and mentored behavioral and nursing staff in residential, detox and outpatient levels of care.
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Graduated with concentration in group work from UCONN School of Social Work. Developed, designed, workshopped, and implemented dynamic group curriculum for adult and adolescent mental health and substance use disorders. Expert in group facilitation and creative distress tolerance interventions.
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Master of Social Work awarded from the University of Connecticut. Group Work Concentration. Bachelor of Arts in Political Science awarded from the University of Connecticut.
