Samantha Russell-Porte
“Helping you navigate life’s murkiest moments with radical acceptance and empowered thinking.”
Title: Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Locations: VA + Teletherapy
Specialties: Couples, Black women and Teens, Interracial/intercultural relationships
What is your name and what do you do around here?
My name’s Samantha Russell-Porte, and I am a Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy. I am a part time therapist at GTA, providing services to individuals, couples, and families; my passion is working with adolescents, couples and families.
5 words that describe you?
Patient/ Observer / Honest / Kind / Bookworm
What do you love most about your job here at GTA?
The diverse team of therapists I get to work with on a daily basis is by far one of my favorite aspects of the job. We all bring different skills and philosophies to the table, and it’s great to be able to get help and guidance from such great clinicians.
What should clients know about working with you?
I believe that therapy is not just a noun; it’s a verb. Therapy can be fulfilling and life-changing; that said, it requires for the client to be willing to get “down and dirty” in order for change to occur. My goal is to create an environment where a client feels safe to get uncomfortable, and know that I’m there to help them through it.
Tweet that (your life story in 140 characters)
#BlackWomenInMentalHealth #HBCUGrad #MFTLife #WaitingForMyHogwartsLetter
If I wasn’t doing this, I’d be…
I think I’d be in the formalwear and bridal industry somehow. I worked in bridal boutiques while in college and I find the whole industry very fascinating. Either that, or something related to food and travel. A show on Food and/or Travel Network about wedding traditions and traditional wedding foods around the world. Boom.
The official Story….
I knew I wanted to go into counseling throughout my four years at Spelman College, but it wasn’t until my senior year that a mentor pointed me towards couples and family therapy as its own field of study. After taking a gap year, I attended Northwestern University and received my masters in marriage and family therapy. I work from an strengths-based integrative model, which means I use a combination of different therapy models depending on the client and the presenting problem. Currently, I am a Resident in Marriage and Family Therapy in the final stages of obtaining full licensure in marriage and family therapy.
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Learn More…
Click play to watch my bio video
Ready to get started?
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