Samantha McMillan (Intern Therapist)
Intro
Hello all! My name is Samantha McMillan and I am an intern therapist with The Center for Growth from September 1, 2026, through September 1, 2027. I am currently a graduate student pursuing a master's in clinical Mental Health Counseling at Sul Ross State University. I am available to see clients at the Society Hill and Art Museum locations in Philadelphia, PA. Below is more information about myself, as well as the theories and clinical approaches I utilize in session.
Background and Areas of Interest
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. I am currently in the final year of my master's in clinical Mental Health Counseling. I am trained as a mandatory reporter and have been formally certified in human trafficking reporting, ethics and jurisprudence, and suicide and substance abuse prevention.
I am theoretically oriented and focused on cultivating a warm and accepting therapeutic relationship, as the connection between counselor and client is the cornerstone of vulnerable and meaningful change.
Growing up in the southern United States exposed me to cultural values that deeply shaped my understanding of identity, belonging, and community. As I navigated my own experiences, I came to appreciate the profound impact that compassionate, nonjudgmental support can have on a person's ability to grow. Those experiences continue to inform my commitment to creating an affirming therapeutic environment where clients feel empowered to explore themselves without fear of judgment. I believe that every person not only has the right, but also the ability, to lead an empowered and passionate life—and that doing so should never be a privilege.
Approach
Every person should have access to the tools that can lead them to the version of themselves that they want to be. Through therapy, I aim to offer an environment where exploration and understanding are at the forefront of our work together. I center my therapeutic approach on the belief that we all have the ability to grow, learn, and change. I believe in our natural tendency toward healing and want to work in partnership with my clients to make that a reality. In session, I create a space where vulnerable ideas and difficult truths can be expressed so that clients feel seen, heard, and valued. With autonomy, empathy, and unconditional positive regard we can build growth-oriented skills.
Autonomy allows each of us to direct our own path. Therapy creates the conditions necessary to reach personal autonomy and responsibility by exploring meaning-making, personal agency, and authenticity. Empathy says to clients, “I am with you”. Unconditional Positive Regard is the idea that no matter how you show up in my office I believe in you and your inherent goodness. By practicing empathy and unconditional positive regard with my clients I hope to work together towards a growth mindset that is possible through trust and vulnerability.
As a counselor, I have a person-centered approach to the therapeutic process. Each person is the expert on their own experience, and my role is to be a collaborative partner in facilitating goals and reaching new understanding. I apply a humanistic framework in session, believing that each individual has an intrinsic capacity for growth and self-actualization. My role is to build a therapeutic relationship grounded in trust and acceptance, allowing these processes to unfold. In my office, I promise to meet each client with an open mind and an open heart.
Therapeutic Relationship
The therapeutic relationship is a combination of trust, vulnerability, and collaboration. Establishing trust with my clients allows for them to show up as they are without feeling the need to put on any mask in session. My goal is for clients to feel unconditional acceptance in session so that together we can understand where problems arise and how to tackle them. Vulnerability allows us to dig deep into therapeutic work without the fear of being “too much”. With the safety established in session change can become a reality, not just a goal. My role in our sessions is to provide the environment in which self-acceptance can take place, bear witness to experience and struggle, empathetically listen, and use my therapeutic knowledge to guide clients toward the life they want. The client’s role in our sessions is self-determined. I am here for you!
Theoretical Interests
As a person-centered therapist, I am interested in theories that place the autonomy of the individual at the core of therapeutic work. For me, empowerment is the "magic wand" that grants each of us the ability to strive toward living the life we want. I am interested in clinical practice with women, teens, and LGBTQIA+ populations. I am particularly intrigued by Existential Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Reality Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, identity exploration, and grief- and trauma-informed approaches.
In my practice with clients I hold the belief that diagnosis isn’t the whole picture. Each of us is a culmination of our experiences, environments, and biology. To simplify a person to a set of signs and symptoms is to deny their origins and the systems that contributed to where they are now. By honoring where we have been I believe we can more authentically move toward new goals and perspectives.
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt Therapy focuses on the here and now, with an emphasis on personal responsibility and the integration of mind, body, and emotions. In therapy this approach works to free clients from cyclical beliefs and empowers them to be an active agent in the therapeutic process.
Gestalt Therapy appeals to me because it encourages awareness of present experience, allowing clients to recognize long-standing patterns while reconnecting with their own needs.
Emotion-Focused Therapy
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is a structured, short-term approach that views emotions as central to identity and decision-making. EFT helps identify painful relationship patterns, transform maladaptive emotional responses, and build secure attachments. With EFT clients acknowledge the role that their emotions play in their reality and can identify and make choices toward change.
EFT gives the client the opportunity to acknowledge the role emotions play in their experiences. I believe it is important to understand how our feelings inform our lived experiences. With EFT clients have a shorter term option to reaching goals while still affirming their emotions.
Existential Therapy
Existential Therapy is grounded in philosophy and focuses on free will, self-determination, and the search for meaning. Rather than treating symptoms alone, Existential Therapy helps clients confront the core themes of the human experience, take personal responsibility, and live a more authentic life. With the Existential approach clients can take back their lived experience and make the meaning of it all fit within their worldview.
I am interested in Existential Therapy because I believe many people come to counseling not simply to reduce symptoms but to understand themselves, make meaning from suffering, and live intentionally.
Reality Therapy
Reality Therapy, like Gestalt Therapy, focuses on the present moment. While you cannot control others, you can control your own actions and thoughts to improve present relationships and satisfy core human needs. Reality therapy shows us that we are in the driver's seat.
What I like about Reality Therapy is the power it gives back to clients. If you are feeling out of control and at a loss this approach can work to reframe how your experiences inform your life.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is an action-oriented approach. It operates on the premise that it is not external events that cause emotional distress, but rather the irrational and rigid beliefs we hold about those events. The goal is to identify, challenge, and replace these beliefs with healthier, rational alternatives.
REBT is great for clients who want to work towards separating fact from emotion. With this approach we can work together to untangle core beliefs and how they dictate our understanding of our day to day.
Starting Therapy
Living is nuanced, and as Jelaluddin Rumi says, "Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." This quote reminds me that therapy is not about determining whether someone is right or wrong, but about understanding their lived experience with curiosity and compassion. I hope to cultivate a space where clients feel free to explore themselves without fear of judgment, trusting that growth begins with acceptance.
