Empowering Change with YoungMINDED
Samantha Locke, LMFT, LPC-S, MAC, MBACP (Accred), Founder and Clinical Director of YoungMINDED brings more than 25 years of dedicated experience to her therapeutic work, specializing in supporting individuals from adolescence through young adulthood. Over the course of her career, she has worked in a variety of settings including treatment facilities, schools, private practice, community mental health centres, youth outreach programs, and she even had an adolescent and parenting radio show for 4 years. With a compassionate, strengths-based approach, Samantha has guided countless young people through periods of profound personal growth, transition, and healing.
Throughout her career, Samantha has addressed a broad spectrum of challenges commonly faced by young clients. Among the issues she frequently supports are: anxiety, depression, family conflict, low self-esteem, academic stress, identity exploration, trauma recovery, peer relationship difficulties, grief and loss, and difficulties related to life transitions. Her extensive expertise allows her to tailor interventions that meet the unique developmental needs of each client, fostering resilience and empowering young people to navigate complex emotional landscapes.
Treatment with Samantha is collaborative and goal-oriented. She believes in helping clients build practical coping skills and gain insight into their emotional worlds. Throughout the therapeutic process, client confidentiality is a fundamental priority, providing young people a safe and private space to share openly. At the same time, Samantha is experienced in sensitively balancing this commitment to confidentiality with her ethical responsibility to address high-risk issues, such as safety concerns, in accordance with professional guidelines. On average, therapeutic engagement typically spans between six and nine months, providing a structured yet flexible time frame for meaningful change. This period allows for the establishment of a trusting therapeutic relationship, identification and processing of core challenges, and the development of sustainable strategies for wellbeing.
Samantha’s integrative approach draws from evidence-based modalities, including CBT, EMDR, DBT, REBT, solution-focused techniques, and mindfulness practices. She is attentive to cultural and individual differences, ensuring her clients feel seen, heard, and respected. Whether addressing acute mental health concerns or supporting personal growth and self-discovery, Samantha Locke’s decades of experience make her an invaluable ally for young people seeking positive, lasting change.