The approach that Sam takes with individuals, couples, and families is based on Attachment Theory and Emotion Focused Therapy. Sam has published scientific articles on the role of childhood abuse, family coping, and the relationship of these phenomena to risk-taking behavior. He has also written about parental support and intrafamilial relations that contribute to the onset and course of problems in children who have experienced a trauma. A particular emphasis has been on the study of how the parent’s response and their unique relationship to their child affects their psychological development. Sam is recognized as a Certified EFT Couple Therapist and Clinical Supervisor by the International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy.

Sam Jinich, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice, licensed to practice by the State of California since 1995. Sam’s areas of professional practice include psychotherapy, teaching, psychological testing and forensic evaluations. Sam has expertise working with couples, families, and individuals experiencing emotional distress and/or experiencing a desire to deepen their understanding of themselves, improve in the areas of parenting, communication, commitment, relationship-building and conflict resolution. Sam is active and engaging in his approach with clients.

Sam holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University’s Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, and a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from Pepperdine University. He did his predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the University Of California, San Francisco Medical Center. Sam has experience teaching at the university level both as an adjunct faculty at Alliant International University (formerly known as the California School of Professional Psychology), and at San Diego State University, and as a guest lecturer at the University of San Francisco, The University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, and at College of Notre Dame. He is past president of the San Francisco Psychological Association and a former member of the Board of Directors of the California Psychological Association. Sam is bicultural and fluent in Spanish.