Sam Tobias, LCSW

THERAPEUTIC APPROACH

I believe every person has the capacity for healing and growth when they feel truly seen, heard, and supported. My goal is to create a compassionate, affirming, and nonjudgmental environment where you feel safe to explore your experiences, emotions, identity, and the challenges that have shaped your life.

Therapy is a collaborative process. My role is to walk alongside you with curiosity, compassion, and respect as we explore your story, identify patterns that may be impacting your well-being, and develop tools that support meaningful change. I believe healing does not mean becoming someone different—it means reconnecting with yourself, your strengths, and the parts of you that may have been impacted by difficult experiences.

Because every person's journey is unique, I take an individualized approach to therapy. Together, we will identify your goals, build upon your existing strengths, and develop practical strategies to help you navigate life's challenges with greater confidence, resilience, and self-understanding.

I work at a pace that feels comfortable for you, recognizing that healing from trauma, grief, identity struggles, and major life transitions takes patience, safety, and compassion.

Areas of Clinical Focus

LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy & Identity Exploration

I provide LGBTQ+ affirming therapy for adolescents and adults who are exploring or questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.

Identity development is a deeply personal journey, and therapy can provide a safe space to explore questions of identity, belonging, relationships, and self-understanding. Whether you are navigating the coming out process, managing anxiety or depression, processing experiences of discrimination, exploring gender identity, or seeking support around relationships and life transitions, I offer a space where you can be heard and accepted without judgment.

My goal is not to direct your journey, but to support you in developing self-understanding, confidence, and a stronger connection with yourself.

Parents of Children with Type 1 Diabetes & Chronic Illness

Parenting a child with Type 1 diabetes or another chronic medical condition can bring unique emotional challenges, including fear, exhaustion, grief, worry, and the constant responsibility of managing your child's health. Therapy provides a supportive space for parents to process the emotional weight of caregiving, strengthen coping skills, and find ways to care for themselves while continuing to support their child.

Individuals Living with Chronic or Terminal Illness

Living with a chronic or terminal illness can affect every part of your life, including your identity, relationships, independence, and hopes for the future. Therapy can provide a safe space to process the emotional impact of illness, navigate uncertainty and grief, and develop strategies for coping with the changes that accompany a significant health diagnosis.

Oncology & Cancer-Related Emotional Support

A cancer diagnosis can bring fear, uncertainty, grief, anger, and profound changes in how you experience yourself and your future. Whether you are newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment, in remission, experiencing recurrence, or supporting someone you love, therapy can provide a place to process the emotional impact of cancer and navigate the many transitions that come with the oncology experience.

Medical Trauma & Health-Related Life Transitions

Medical procedures, hospitalizations, chronic illness, and serious diagnoses can sometimes leave lasting emotional and psychological effects. Therapy can help individuals process medical trauma, reduce anxiety related to healthcare experiences, and adjust to changes in health, functioning, identity, and daily life.

LGBTQ+ Therapy & Support

Sam provides affirming, compassionate therapy for LGBTQ+ adolescents and adults, as well as individuals exploring their identity. Therapy offers a safe space to explore identity, relationships, self-acceptance, coming out, family dynamics, and experiences of discrimination or rejection without fear of judgment.

Gender Identity Exploration & Questioning

Exploring your gender identity can bring a wide range of emotions and questions. Sam provides a supportive, nonjudgmental space for adolescents and adults who are questioning or exploring their gender identity. Therapy can help you better understand yourself, navigate uncertainty, and move toward greater authenticity and self-acceptance at your own pace.

Family Support for LGBTQ+ Individuals

When a loved one comes out or begins exploring their gender or sexual identity, family members may experience a range of emotions, questions, and uncertainty. Sam supports parents, caregivers, partners, and family members who want to better understand their loved one's experience, improve communication, process their own emotions, and build stronger, more affirming relationships.

Parents & Families of Transgender Youth

Supporting a transgender or gender-questioning child or teenager can bring both opportunities for growth and difficult questions. Sam works with parents and families to navigate their own emotions, strengthen communication, and better understand how to support their child while maintaining connection and respect for the young person's individual journey.

Complex & Complicated Grief

Some losses are particularly difficult to process and can feel as though they change the course of your life. Complex or complicated grief may involve persistent sadness, anger, guilt, longing, or difficulty adapting to life after a significant loss. Therapy can provide a compassionate space to process grief, make meaning of your experience, and find ways to carry your loss while continuing to move forward.

Men's Mental Health

Many men experience depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, anger, shame, or emotional distress but may have learned to hide or minimize their struggles. Therapy provides an environment where men can explore what they are experiencing without judgment while developing healthier ways to understand and manage emotions, strengthen relationships, and build a life that feels meaningful and fulfilling.

Shame, Self-Worth & Identity

Shame can shape the way we see ourselves and influence our relationships, choices, and sense of belonging. Therapy can help you understand where shame comes from, challenge deeply held beliefs about your worth, and develop greater self-compassion. Together, we can work toward a stronger sense of identity that is grounded in who you are rather than in past experiences or others' expectations.

Lifestyle & Life Transitions

Major life changes can bring uncertainty even when they are positive or expected. Career changes, relationship transitions, changes in health, becoming a parent, children leaving home, retirement, or other shifts in identity can leave you questioning what comes next. Therapy can help you process these changes, clarify your values and priorities, and develop a sense of direction as you move into a new chapter.

Anxiety

Anxiety can affect your thoughts, emotions, body, relationships, and ability to fully engage in daily life. Therapy can help you understand the underlying causes of anxiety, develop practical coping strategies, and build greater confidence in your ability to navigate uncertainty and difficult emotions.

Depression

Depression can make it difficult to experience joy, motivation, connection, or hope. You may feel exhausted, disconnected, overwhelmed, or stuck. Therapy provides a supportive space to understand the factors contributing to depression, reconnect with your strengths and values, and develop practical tools for moving toward greater emotional well-being.

Therapeutic Approaches

I incorporate evidence-based approaches tailored to your individual needs, including:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Helps identify and change unhelpful thought patterns while developing practical coping strategies.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – Supports psychological flexibility by helping you navigate difficult emotions while living in alignment with your values.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) – Helps you understand different parts of yourself and develop greater self-compassion and internal connection.
Attachment-Based Therapy – Explores how early relationships and attachment experiences influence emotions, relationships, and patterns of connection.
Strengths-Based Therapy – Builds upon your resilience, abilities, and personal resources.
Grief Therapy – Supports healing after loss while helping you find meaning and hope.
Trauma-Informed Therapy – Creates a safe, empowering environment that honors your experiences and your pace.

Populations Served

Adolescents and adults.
LGBTQ+ affirming therapist.

Specialties

LGBTQ+ Therapy & Support
Gender Identity Exploration, Questioning & Support
Family Support for LGBTQ+ Individuals
Parents of Children with Type 1 Diabetes & Chronic Illness
Individuals Living with Chronic Illness
Complex & Complicated Grief
Developmental Trauma
Shame & Self-Worth
Lifestyle Transitions
Men's Mental Health
Oncology & Cancer Related Emotional Support
Anxiety
Depression

Availability

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Daytime and evening appointments available.

Utah License: 12886209-3501 (LCSW)

BACKGROUND

EDUCATION AND WORK HISTORY

I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from Weber State University and earned my Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, which I completed in 2023.

My career as a therapist began in the field of oncology, where I supported individuals and families coping with grief, chronic illness, and end-of-life challenges. In this setting, I addressed a wide range of concerns, including adjustment to illness, communication barriers, body image struggles, and the search for meaning in suffering. These experiences not only shaped my clinical foundation but also had a profound impact on my personal growth. I carry with me the wisdom and resilience shared by my patients and their families every day in my work as a therapist.

During my graduate training, I completed my MSW practicum with Connections Counseling, where I deepened my skills in trauma-informed care and worked with individuals navigating life transitions, emotional distress, and complex relational dynamics.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE AND INTEREST

Over the past eight years, I’ve gained both personal and professional experience supporting families navigating the challenges of raising children with Type 1 diabetes and gender-diverse identities, including transgender teens. These experiences have deepened my empathy for parents and caregivers facing complex emotional and practical decisions—and have inspired my passion for helping families build resilience, connection, and understanding in the face of uncertainty.

My clinical specialties include:

Supporting parents of children with chronic illness, especially Type 1 diabetes
Counseling parents of transgender teens navigating identity, safety, and family dynamics
Working with individuals experiencing complex or complicated grief
Guiding clients through life transitions such as career change, divorce, or caregiving

A more recent and evolving area of focus is my work with men healing from developmental trauma. Many of the men I work with grew up receiving messages like “man up” or “get over it,” leading them to suppress emotion, disconnect from their inner world, and express pain through anger or withdrawal. These early experiences of emotional neglect or invalidation often go unrecognized, yet they shape patterns of self-protection, shame, and relational disconnection well into adulthood.

I am committed to helping men recognize these patterns, release shame, and learn to reconnect—with themselves and with others. When men are supported in exploring their emotions without judgment, they often become more grounded, less reactive, and more receptive to meaningful connection.

I’m deeply curious and always learning. I value the richness of people’s lived experiences and seek to integrate new therapeutic approaches to meet the evolving needs of the individuals and families I serve.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT SAM...

1- Coffee or tea? Or something else entirely? Coffee. A grande, skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks to be exact!

2- How do you take care of your own mental health? I love hiking and fly fishing. The most awesome hike I've done to date was Half Dome, in Yosemite National Park. My favorite place to fish is the Henry’s Fork River, in Island Park, Idaho.

3- What do you think makes therapy meaningful? The connection that’s formed between the therapist and client. Talking about hard things, sharing good news, and laughing, are all necessary for a meaningful experience.

4- If you could describe the therapy process as a journey, what part of the path do you love the most? When a client is excited to tell me how they’ve used a skill we’ve worked on in therapy, out in the “real world”, and it’s helped!

5- What’s a personal core value that guides your work? Persistence. I’m a firm believer that challenges help us grow, and become better.

6- What’s your most controversial (but fun!) opinion? I do not like chocolate cake. I said what I said.

7- Do you have a random fact or piece of trivia you like to share? A female praying mantis will eat her mate when she’s done with him!

8- What’s a quote you come back to often? “When it hurts–OBSERVE. Life is trying to teach you something.”

9- What helps you stay grounded on hard days? My family and friends. I also try to focus on all the good things in my life.

10- Dog person, cat person, or… something else? For sure a dog person! I also really love reptiles. I have a golden retriever, a border collie, and the coolest black and yellow ball python!

Appointment Request

If you are looking to:

Start enjoying life again
Achieve your goals
And live authentically

…Then let’s chat!

Get in touch

Location: 2019 W. 1900 S. Suite 130 Syracuse, UT 84075