Sam Kim, LCSW, LSATP, MAC
Clinical Director
About
I am the co-founder of Rule 62 Therapy and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Virginia and Colorado) and a Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner (Virginia) with over 16 years experience in clinical practice helping adults through anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, big life changes, substance use disorders, and the emotional patterns that run alongside addiction and recovery.
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) as a foundation alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based (MBCT), and psychodynamic approaches all within a trauma-informed frame. I work to match the method to the person rather than the other way around.
Availability: I provide virtual therapy via telehealth for clients across Virginia and Colorado.
Specialties
- Anxiety or Overwhelm
- Burnout
- Life Transitions (divorce, career, family, social)
- 12 Step Recovery Support
- Addiction
- Relapse Prevention
- Depression
- Men’s Issues
- Stress Management
- Relationships
- Adult ADHD
- Self-Esteem
- Trauma
- Identity
My Approach
Most therapists will tell you that they take an integrative or eclectic approach. The truth is, not every approach will resonate with every client. I work to match the method to the person rather than the other way around. I am grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (thought patterns) and Internal Family Systems (parts), but also draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, mindfulness-based, psychodynamic, and somatic approaches. As we go, we find what works best for you.
We’ll work together to develop coping strategies and techniques for regulating emotions. We’ll build toward the practice of creating space so you can respond to life’s challenges instead of reacting to them; more choice equals more freedom. And we’ll walk through your past experiences, beliefs, emotions, and perceptions to see how you got here. Then, we will strive to understand what’s actually driving your present experience, build real, functional insight, and develop strategies that hold outside the session.
My Background
I began my counseling and therapy career in 1991 as a volunteer with teens in a residential treatment center for substance use disorders. I went on to work for a non-profit organization providing SUD treatment and then county government at detox and transitional housing for men re-entering the community from the prison system as a primary counselor and case manager. That ultimately led me to today, providing clinical mental health therapy in private practice. But my road has had many twists and turns, as life goes some times. I have many years experience in government contracting supporting federal agencies with security and IT which comes in handy seeing clients in the DC Metro area. I also owned and operated a Jiu Jitsu academy for nearly 20 years.
I am a lifelong learner and subscribe to the “Kaizen Principle” of small, incremental, yet continuous improvement and consider myself a student of Stoicism, the ancient philosophy centered on the notion that we do not control external events, only our responses to them.
Education, Training, and Credentials
- Master of Social Work – University of New Hampshire
- Bachelor of Science in Information Technology – Strayer University
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) – Virginia Board of Social Work
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) – Colorado Board of Social Work Examiners
- Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Provider (LSATP) – Virginia Board of Counseling
- Master Addictions Counselor (MAC) – NAADAC
- Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) – Virginia Board of Counseling
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
Schedule a 15 minute consultation