Samantha Zuniga-Howell, MSW
Pronouns: she/her
Samantha Zuniga-Howell is a pansexual Latina earning her Masters degree in Social Work at the University of Southern California and is a Clinical Intern at Wombat Mental Health Services. Samantha graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a bachelor degree in Deaf Studies and American Sign Language. Sam has several years of experience working with developmentally delayed children and families who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing.
Her passions include providing a language foundation to deaf children who may have otherwise not had access to American Sign Language and providing the mental health support needed when working through difficult times. Sam finds great value in ensuring everyone has access to language and community support. When Sam is not working, going to school, or interning, she loves spending time with her wife, dogs, cats, and taking care of her plants.
Along with her background of work with deaf and disabled families in early intervention, Sam’s direct experiences and ties within the LGBTQIA2S and BIPOC communities furthers her capacity to support clients from these communities with cultural competency and awareness. Samantha is actively working to cultivate her knowledge and insight regarding Kink/BDSM and Sex Work to further her skills and abilities in providing care for these communities.
Samantha utilizes empirically sound and practice-based evidence to meet clients where they are at, while emphasizing the importance of cultural humility. Samantha implements practices such as motivational interviewing, problem-solving therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness.
Samantha is supervised by a licensed clinician.
Additional Languages
- American Sign Language (ASL) (fluent)
