Samantha Reed, LPCC

About Samantha

I hold a dual master’s degree in School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health from Adams State University, and I’ve trained in a range of approaches so I can tailor the work to the person rather than run everyone through the same track. What I believe most about people is that they’re capable and resilient. Therapy, for me, isn’t about fixing that; it’s about making the work less isolating and more intentional, and giving you a place to understand yourself a little more deeply.

Durango feels like a place where people come to experience life, and it values both independence and connection. It’s home. The unpredictability of it fits how I practice too. It can be February and 70 degrees, then May and snowing, and sometimes that’s just real life. You meet the day where it is and you learn to navigate it authentically.

Time outside work is mostly family and friends, and we try to get outside every day regardless of weather, in the mountains, in the desert, or just on the deck. I read both to learn and to escape, and there’s a lot of kid activities, farmers markets, concerts in the park, and skiing. There’s a balance to it that I find around one question: where’s my capacity today, and how do I honor that. I try to keep a rhythm that stays flexible.

Samantha’s Approach to Care

My approach is integrative and trauma-informed. I draw from cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, narrative therapy, and EMDR, and I tailor each session to what you need in that moment, prioritizing safe, well-paced, structured work. It’s collaborative, so we’re checking in together: was that too much, too little, did it work for you? That calibration can take a minute to learn, and realistic expectations help. The way I describe it, this room is the locker room and out there is the playing field. We work in here together, and then you take yourself out there and try it.

For couples, I primarily draw from the Gottman Method and emotionally focused therapy, which dovetail well because they pair emotion and relationship together. Whatever issue brings a couple in, it’s almost never the thing we end up working on. Underneath, it usually sounds like I’m unseen, I’m unheard, I’m undervalued. The most hopeful thing I witness is when people step back into relationship with each other even after they’ve been hurt, taking that risk of vulnerability. And I’m honest about the limits: if only one partner wants to come, we can still do meaningful work, but you can’t lead a horse to water. What you can do is show up for your own work, and often that creates a ripple where the other person leans in too.

On EMDR, I get why people are skeptical, because I was, and I’m not a bandwagon person. At its core it’s about how your brain stores information. Difficult experiences can stay stuck in a really visceral, somatic form, and your brain treats them as still happening. The bilateral stimulation lets your brain resource from itself and make new connections. You’re not hypnotized or controlled; you’re aware and in charge the whole time. I think of trauma like a boulder dropped in the river of your life. Trauma becomes the moss and the sticks that catch on it, and EMDR clears that debris so we can see the boulder for what it is and decide whether to navigate around it or move it.

Samantha’s education and experience

I hold a dual master’s degree in School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health from Adams State University. My work is grounded in evidence-based practices including CBT, DBT, narrative, and solution-focused therapy, alongside humanistic, strength-based, and trauma-informed perspectives. I offer couples therapy informed by the Gottman Method and EFT, integrate ACT for values-based living, and use EMDR to address trauma .

Samantha’s license information

Credential: Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC)
License: #0023484
State: Colorado