Samantha Gonzalez, M.A.

How to Make an Appointment

You can make an appointment with Samantha online via Health-e-Messaging. Step by step instructions are below.

1. Navigate to Health-e-Messaging.
2. Click “Schedule Appointment."
3. Click “Mental Health Counseling."
4. Click “I am interested in appointment not in crisis” (If you are in crisis, contact 530-752-0871 instead).
5. Click “Counseling Assessment and Resource Visit."
6. Click “ I would like to schedule an appointment with a counselor who has expertise in working with my community."
7. Click “AB540/Undocumented.
8. Confirm personal information and set preferences as you proceed to “Search for Appointments."

About Me

I am a Health Service Psychology Doctoral Intern and am a firm believer in the importance of representation in higher education. As a first-generation student and daughter of Mexican immigrants, I value providing a supportive space for fellow students from marginalized/underrepresented communities. I am passionate about supporting our undocumented community and aim to help students gain the tools, self-compassion, and confidence to care for themselves while navigating their unique challenges. With every client, I feel immensely privileged to be part of their healing journey and honor the strength it took for them to enter our room. It is a powerful experience to witness brave adults decide to take a step toward their healing, breaking generational cycles, and improving their mental health.
Outside of work, if I am not dancing under a disco ball or at a Harry Styles concert, I love swimming, thrifting, building puzzles, watching scary movies, having a girls' night, and doing nail art. 

Identities that Represent Me

• Mexican American
• Latina
• First Generation Student

How I Support Students in Therapy

I am committed to providing culturally sensitive, affirming care, and welcome all identities you choose to bring to our therapy room. I aim to create a warm, safe, and empowering space where we can collaboratively help you gain a deeper understanding of your emotions and challenges. I help students “tend and befriend” their emotions, so that you can learn healthy ways to respond to and utilize your feelings in and outside of therapy. 

My approach includes:

• An Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) lens, imbedded within a multicultural, feminist, and social justice framework.
• An understanding that the world we live in and broader systemic issues can impact your values, behaviors, and problems. Therefore, I aim to help you understand these impacts so that you can work towards building a healthier, more enjoyable life within the contexts of your sociocultural environment.
• Rather than treating our emotions like strangers, I encourage clients to practice mindfulness and befriend their emotions, to guide them towards living a more authentic life. 
• A focus on radical acceptance and self-compassion.
• A collaborative and strength-based approach, knowing that each person has the capacity to grow, and that growth looks different for each person. 
• The use of creative and artistic activities for insight building – because sometimes it is hard putting our experiences into words.

Working with all students (undergraduate and graduate), with a special focus on:

• Racial/ethnic and sexual minorities
• Immigrants and undocumented students
• First-generation college students

Common concerns I help with:

• Anxiety, depression, and trauma
• Academic stress and homesickness
• Relationship and dating challenges
• Anger
• Intergenerational trauma
• Career Identity exploration
• Mental illness and emotional resilience