Dr. Samaneh (Sama) Abedini
Registered Clinical Counsellor
She/Her
BA (Clinical Psychology), MA (Couple & Family Therapy), PhD (Health Sciences), RCC
Sama works with youth ages 12+, adults, families and couples.
In-Person:
Every other Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Every Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Online:
Monday: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Tuesday: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Every other Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Specializations:
Anxiety Disorders
Depression and Mood Concerns
Grief and Loss Counselling
Self-Esteem and Confidence Building
Parent Coaching and Support
Family Therapy with youth (12+)
Individual Therapy for youth (12+)
Therapy for Adults
Borderline Personality Traits
Self-Harm
Suicidal ideation
Summary
Dr. Sama Abedini, PhD, RCC, is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with 15 years of clinical experience supporting youth (12+), adults, couples, and families.
Sama specializes in autism, ADHD, trauma, anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder (BPD) and related traits, emotional regulation difficulties, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and relationship challenges. She also supports survivors of emotionally abusive and controlling relationships, including those affected by narcissistic behaviours.
With extensive experience in couples and family therapy, Sama helps clients build confidence, strengthen relationships, develop a stronger sense of identity, and make meaningful changes in their lives.
Sama also supervises and mentors clinicians and provides weekly clinical teaching focused on evidence-based, trauma-informed, and neurodiversity-affirming care.
Get to Know Sama Better
I believe therapy should go beyond understanding problems. It should help you make meaningful changes in your everyday life.
Whether you are recovering from an abusive relationship, navigating family conflict, supporting your child, or feeling stuck, I help you find practical ways to move forward.
I see neurodivergence as a natural part of human diversity, not something that needs to be fixed. I help clients recognize their strengths, build confidence, develop healthier relationships, navigate career and social challenges, and create lives that reflect their values and identities.
I believe meaningful progress comes from understanding ourselves and developing the skills, support, and confidence to make changes that matter to us.
Experience
I have 15 years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples, youth, parents, and families facing complex emotional, behavioural, and relationship challenges.
My work includes supporting autistic and ADHD individuals, people with BPD and related traits, survivors of trauma and abusive relationships, and youth experiencing emotional distress, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts.
I also have extensive experience supporting immigrants and children of immigrant parents with cultural expectations, intergenerational conflict, family pressure, boundaries, identity, and belonging.
I supervise and mentor clinicians and provide weekly clinical teaching focused on ethical, evidence-based, trauma-informed, and neurodiversity-affirming care.
I have also developed two structured intervention packages for neurodivergent children.
Emotional Regulation and Resilience focuses on emotional awareness, sensory and emotional needs, personalized coping strategies, and resilience.
Social Connection and Communication focuses on self-advocacy, personal boundaries, different communication styles, mutual understanding, and meaningful relationships without encouraging masking or conformity to neurotypical expectations.
Specialized Training & Certifications
Couples and Family Therapy: Three years of specialized training, including 1,600 hours of directly supervised clinical practice in couples and family therapy, focusing on relationship dynamics, family systems, assessment, and therapeutic interventions.
Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS)
Certified in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Training for Clinicians
ADHD Clinical Service Provider Training
Trauma-Informed Somatic Approaches for Neurodivergent Clients
Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills Adapted for Neurodivergent Clients
Approach & Modalities
My approach is neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed, strengths-based, and evidence-based. I draw from DBT, CBT, trauma-focused therapy, emotion-focused therapy, family therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches.
I help clients understand emotional and relationship patterns, manage distress, strengthen boundaries, develop self-advocacy, and build healthier relationships.
Rather than changing how someone naturally thinks, communicates, or experiences the world, I work with their strengths, needs, and goals to support meaningful change in everyday life.
Communication Style
I am warm, direct, and collaborative. I listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, and offer practical feedback.
I respect different communication styles, sensory needs, and processing preferences.
I want clients to feel comfortable being themselves while working toward clear goals, greater confidence, and meaningful progress.
Fun Facts:
Please provide several photos for promotional materials like advertisements and blog posts. It would be beneficial to have a photo with an open-lipped smile, as this type of smile has been shown to be more inviting for counselling clients.
Conflict of Interest & Professional Boundaries
In accordance with professional ethical standards and applicable Conflict of Interest Guidelines, Sama cannot provide private counselling services to individuals, or their immediate family members, where a prior professional relationship was established through involvement with the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).
All private services are conducted independently of MCFD systems, resources, paid work hours, and confidential information. Clients are screened during intake to confirm that no current or prior involvement would create a real, perceived, or potential conflict of interest. If circumstances change during treatment, appropriate disclosure, consultation, and referral procedures are followed to ensure ongoing ethical compliance.
