✨ Meet Sam: Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist
Samantha Pugh, LCSW, is a parent coach and early childhood mental health specialist who supports families with children aged 0 to 6. She helps caregivers navigate behavior challenges, strengthen relationships, and feel more grounded in their parenting. Her work is rooted in connection, clarity, and respect for each family’s unique rhythm, as well as an expertise in infant, toddler and early childhood development. With over 17 years of working as a psychotherapist who specializes in traumatized children and families, Sam brings a grounded and trauma-informed presence to her practice. Her work is rooted in evidence-based practice and a deep passion for supporting young families so that parents feel less alone.
Why Sam Is a Perfect Fit
- Specialized support for infants, toddlers, and caregivers — Sam helps families navigate common early childhood challenges like biting, separation struggles, bedtime battles, and emotional outbursts.
- Strengthens parent–child connection — She works with caregivers to build trust and attunement, using practical strategies that support emotional regulation and develop a sense of confidence and competence in caregivers.
- Community-minded and strengths-based — Sam approaches her work with deep respect for each caregiver’s effort and capacity, focusing on what’s working and where there’s room for ease. Sam knows that all parents are trying to do right by their child and focuses her work on supporting early relationships so that children and caregivers can thrive.
🗣️ What Families Say
"How lucky we feel to have found Sam at a time when we felt completely overwhelmed and inadequate in caring for our son. She was our port in the storm, truly invested in listening and understanding our unique situation week to week."
"Not only is Sam graceful, poised, self-aware, reflective, respectful and humbled by families, she herself has the life experience of working in the field and being a mother, huge factors for empathy and connection with the families she serves. Furthermore, she is an absolutely lovely person."
🎓 Credentials & Scope
Samantha has a maternal mental health specialty, supporting postpartum parents experiencing mood and anxiety disorders. She is trained specifically in evidence-based practices, all of which aim to improve caregiver-child connections and foster secure attachments). These include: Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Circle of Security Parenting.
- BA in Public Policy from Duke University; MSW from Smith College School for Social Work
- 13 years of experience in community mental health clinics serving young children and families in Denver and Boston
- 7 years of private practice experience
Disclaimer: While Sam is a licensed clinician, the services she offers through 15 Summers are provided in a non-clinical coaching capacity and do not constitute therapy or mental health treatment.
Pricing
- Initial free consultation available; Rates start at $200 per 60-minute session