Sami Pastian, LPCC, ATR-P

Sami Pastian, LPCC, ATR-P, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor who provides individual therapy for teens and adults at Cook Counseling and Consulting Inc. She earned her degree from Ursuline College and is an Art Therapist Registered—Provisional (ATR-P). She is clinically trained and supervised in the use of art therapy practices.

Sami believes transformation and healing can be fostered through creative expression and provides a compassionate, collaborative environment where clients can safely explore their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. She integrates creative expression into therapy to promote self-discovery, emotional processing, insight, and personal growth. For some individuals, healing comes through the process of creating art itself, while others find meaning by exploring the symbolism, themes, and metaphors that emerge through the creative process. Creative expression can offer a powerful pathway to process experiences that may be difficult to express through words alone.

Sami works with adolescents and adults experiencing PTSD, trauma, anxiety, ADHD, autism, dissociative disorders, grief, stress, and depression and has extensive experience supporting veterans and individuals with complex mental health concerns. Her therapeutic approach is neuro-affirming, strengths-based, and eclectic, recognizing that every client experiences and processes the world differently.

She utilizes evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), client-centered therapy, narrative therapy, Jungian analysis, parts work, and clinically supervised art therapy practices. Treatment is tailored to each individual’s unique strengths, values, and goals, helping clients develop greater self-awareness, emotional resilience, healthy coping strategies, and lasting change.

Sami believes therapy is a collaborative process that empowers clients to better understand themselves, honor their lived experiences, and build lives aligned with their authentic identities. Rather than encouraging individuals to work against themselves, she helps clients cultivate self-compassion while developing practical tools that complement their unique needs and strengths.

In addition to her clinical work, Sami has gained valuable multicultural counseling experience through clinical training and service-learning opportunities in Nepal and South Africa. These experiences deepened her commitment to cultural humility and providing inclusive, culturally responsive mental health care that honors each client’s background, values, and lived experiences.

Whether someone is seeking therapy for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, ADHD, autism, grief, dissociation, or life challenges, Sami is committed to creating a safe, supportive space where healing, creativity, and personal growth can flourish.

Areas of Focus:

• Trauma & PTSD Therapy
• Anxiety Counseling
• ADHD
• Autism (Neuro-Affirming Care)
• Dissociative Disorders
• Grief & Loss
• Veteran Mental Health
• Creative Expression in Therapy
• CBT
• DBT
• ACT
• Narrative Therapy
• Jungian-Informed Therapy
• Parts Work
• Teens & Adult Therapy