Samantha Bugay

Therapist

Samantha is a Therapist at Trisha Johnson Therapy Group with over 14 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in both educational and therapeutic settings. Prior to joining TJTG, she has worked as a social worker at Walter R. Sundling Junior High and Greenwood Elementary School, where she provided therapeutic support, developed response-to-intervention plans, and taught social-emotional support lessons.

Samantha has also worked as an outpatient mental health therapist and crisis interventionist at Holding Hope Services where she provided high quality, compassionate mental health therapy to clients. She has previously held roles as an assistant director at Kids & Company and a preschool teacher at Kindercare.

Samantha specializes in anxiety, trauma, depression, gender identity, and substance abuse. Her approach is client-centered and non-judgmental, with a goal to provide a safe space for clients to explore their thoughts and emotions. Her objective is to help clients identify and achieve their goals while providing them with the necessary tools to overcome any obstacles that may arise.

Samantha is a licensed social worker and holds a master’s degree in social work from Aurora University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from National Louis University. She is a member of the IASSW and NASW and holds certifications in CPI and LSCI. In addition, she volunteers at Chicagoland Dog Rescue and Feed My Starving Children.