Samantha Kerstein, LCSW

Samantha Kerstein is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker focused on treating anxiety, depression and behavioral and emotional challenges in children, adolescents, families, parents, couples and adults. She also serves as the Assistant Director of Clinical and Community Education at the Lukin Center.

Prior to joining The Lukin Center, Samantha spent six years at JCCA in Brooklyn where she gained extensive experience as a family therapist working hands-on with at-risk youth and their families from diverse cultural backgrounds. Samantha also spent over two years supervising her team of family therapists, providing intensive clinical support. 

Samantha’s core populations include children, adolescents, athletes, and couples, with a specific focus on parent-child relationships. With her background in athletics, extensive experience as a family therapist, and intensive training in EFT and FFT, she brings a multifaceted expertise to her clinical work. Samantha has advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Functional Family Therapy (FFT) which she incorporates into her work with individuals, families, parents and couples to address attachment wounds and relational and behavioral challenges.

As a therapist, Samantha strives to build a client-centered and compassionate space that is both nonjudgmental and safe for all her clients. She focuses upon identifying and interrupting behavior patterns that are not positively serving clients by utilizing both an attachment lens and introducing more productive tools and skills that will facilitate growth and development as well as strengthening familial, couple and parent-child relationships over time. 

Samantha tailors her treatment using a strength-based approach incorporating a combination of evidence-based family and couples therapy and cognitive behavioral strategies. Samantha strongly believes in working alongside clients to empower them, making their lives as fruitful as possible in order to achieve their long-term goals. Samantha believes in collaboration with the school and other providers that may be supporting the family. 

Samantha also brings a dynamic passion to empowering athletes, guiding them toward holistic success both within their sport and in life. As an integral member of our Sports Performance program, she possesses a keen understanding of the unique demands placed upon athletes. Her personal background as a competitive varsity athlete in tennis and basketball allows her to resonate deeply with the athletic journey. She’s compelled by a profound desire to equip individuals with the tools to navigate performance-related psychological pressures and to champion their emotional well-being. Samantha’s firsthand experience of pushing for peak performance, including overcoming a serious injury in high school, informs her approach. 

Ultimately, Samantha is committed to empowering athletes and their families to effectively manage challenges, fostering not just achievement, but long-term well-being, in all aspects of their lives.

Samantha holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania, and her Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Samantha also obtained a certificate in criminal justice and was awarded a Robert Maslow Excellence in Practice Award at JCCA by the Senior Leadership Team in recognition of outstanding work with children and families. Samantha is a licensed clinical social worker in NY, NJ and PA.

In her free time, Samantha loves discovering NYC’s newest restaurants, staying active and spending time with family and friends!