Samantha

Samantha started at Willow House in September of 2023 as the Clinical Site Coordinator for the Expressive Arts Group. She has her Masters in Counseling and Art Therapy from Adler University and her Masters in Visual Arts from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. She is working on a Doctorate of Philosophy in Art Therapy from Adler University and a Registered Art Therapist in Progress.

Samantha was drawn to the grief and bereavement community due to her loss of her grandmother as a young adult and living with her while she was in hospice. She finds joy in helping children, and their families find ways to memorialize their loved ones and honor their grief through art making.

In addition to her role at Willow House, Samantha is a Bereavement Coordinator at JourneyCare Hospice and Addus HomeCare in Deerfield, Illinois. As a Bereavement Coordinator, Samantha does individual grief counseling, facilitates bereavement groups, and creates creative grief workshops. Before becoming a counselor, Samantha was a photography
and visual art professor for ten years.

Samantha enjoys visiting coffee shops and used bookstores with her dog, Newman, and taking road trips photographing smaller communities across the Midwest.