Sam Fattahi

Sam Fattahi is a seasoned clinical counsellor who has devoted more than a decade to helping people heal, grow, and reconnect with their inner strength. As a Registered Clinical Counsellor in good standing with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors, she offers a standard of care that is both professional and deeply compassionate. Her work reflects what many people look for when they search for therapy in Coquitlam, someone who is qualified, emotionally present, and able to understand complex life experiences without judgment.

From the beginning of her career, Sam has been committed to supporting individuals from different ages, cultures, and family systems as they navigate the layered realities of mental health. She understands that people often come to therapy not because something is wrong with them, but because something painful has happened to them. This is one of the reasons she identifies as a trauma informed therapist.

She recognizes how trauma, whether it comes from childhood experiences, immigration stress, relationship injuries, loss, or systemic pressures, can shape the nervous system and a person’s sense of safety. In offering trauma therapy in Coquitlam, Sam creates an environment where clients can explore their experiences at a pace that feels safe, without being rushed into disclosure or strategies that their body is not ready for.

Her approach is rooted in compassion and empowerment. Sam believes that every person carries a story of resilience, even if that story has been buried under years of anxiety, self doubt, or people pleasing. In session, she helps clients recognize their own capacity to survive and adapt. She often works collaboratively, inviting her clients to take part in setting goals, naming what feels difficult, and identifying what healing would actually look like in their daily lives. This kind of collaborative relationship is what many people seek when they are looking for a professional counsellor, someone who will not talk over them, but will walk with them.

Over the years, Sam has developed a diverse set of therapeutic skills that allows her to tailor her counselling to the individual sitting in front of her. She knows that no two people arrive with the same history or the same nervous system. Some clients need practical strategies to regulate emotions, to manage stress, or to improve communication with a partner or child. Others need deeper trauma processing, especially when the past keeps showing up in the present through triggers, nightmares, or emotional shutdown.

For clients who carry trauma in their body, Sam’s work as an EMDR therapist in Coquitlam and across BC becomes especially meaningful. EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a powerful and well researched approach that helps the brain reprocess unhealed memories so that they lose their emotional intensity. By integrating EMDR into her practice, Sam offers clients not only talk therapy, but a method of healing that works directly with the brain’s natural ability to process and file past experiences.

What makes her work stand out is her ability to hold both clinical structure and human warmth. She is clear and knowledgeable, yet not clinical in a cold way. She understands that therapy is not only about technique, it is about relationship. Clients often need to feel seen before they can change. They need to feel safe before they can remember. They need someone to believe in their capacity before they can believe in it themselves. Sam holds this space with steadiness. She does not pathologize every behavior. Instead, she helps clients understand why certain coping strategies made sense at the time, then gently guides them toward healthier, more grounded ways of living.

In her practice, Sam does not see herself only as a counsellor who delivers interventions. She sees herself as a companion in the healing journey. This is an important distinction. Many people, especially those who have experienced trauma, long for a therapeutic presence that is attuned, regulated, and consistent. Sam offers exactly this. She stays curious about her clients’ stories. She honors their cultural identities. She understands how intergenerational experiences, migration, gender roles, or family expectations can shape a person’s mental health. This makes her work especially supportive for individuals and families who are looking for therapy in Coquitlam and across BC that respects both their emotional world and their cultural background.

At the core of her mission is hope. Sam believes that people can rewrite their narrative, even if the first chapters were written in hardship. She believes that clients can move from survival to connection, from self criticism to self compassion, from chaos to clarity. By offering trauma therapy in Coquitlam and across BC, combined with her training as an EMDR therapist in Coquitlam and her identity as a professional counsellor, Sam helps individuals move toward a brighter and more fulfilling future. Her work is an invitation, not a demand. An invitation to heal at one’s own pace, to be met with respect, and to experience therapy as a place where change is both possible and sustainable.