Sam Wilson, LCSW

11/06/2025

Free Talk Therapy Support for Furloughed And Fired Feds

I have decided to offer free services to up to 3 Federal workers as a way of giving back for the services that they offer us all. The struggles that my friends, family, and ongoing clients have experienced due to the recent Federal shutdown has deeply impacted me.

The free services I’m offering include the following:
-1 session-length consultation to provide some support and determine if I am an appropriate fit for your current therapeutic needs
-2 full length sessions “guaranteed”, if we agree I am an appropriate fit, focused on the goals or topics of your choice
-Up to 2 more potential sessions depending on whether you are still impacted (see criteria below)

Who is eligible?
-Any Federal worker whose Federal employment was involuntarily terminated in the last year
-Federal employees currently on Furloughed or Excepted status (Exempt are not eligible)
-Federal contractors who have lost substantial income during the shutdown

During normal times I prefer to offer community support by extending more permanent sliding scale services to special populations or occasionally offering pro bono services to ongoing clients who are in a financial emergency. But these are not normal times. I do currently have availability to continue to offer individual or couples therapy after the end of this special offering. If you wish to investigate sliding scale rates please let me know, but also please understand that this determination will be made based on financial need using the same criteria and pricing structure I use for other clients.

I specialize in Attention Deficit Disorder, men’s issues, and providing relationship support. But as a social worker I have experience with a wide range of issues including specialized experience in career support and chronic mental health disorders. If you have any questions about this offer or my expertise please let me know. And if you do not fully meet criteria please know that I offer free consultations to all clients as a foundation of my business. I am licensed in Maryland and Oregon and can only see clients in those jurisdictions. So if you live in Oregon or the DMV please feel free to share. I hope everyone affected by the shutdown finds relief from these disruptions very soon.

Licensed therapist in downtown Portland with extensive clinical experience specializing in Adult ADHD, electronics addictions, collaborative couples counseling, men's issues, and Bipolar Disorders.

11/06/2025

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know I'm looking for a few new folks in Maryland or Oregon to join my ongoing open virtual support group for adults with ADHD. The group's been running since March and currently has 5 active members who would love some new perspectives. The group runs every Tuesday at 3:00pm EST/noon PST. Only $30 per meeting and no charge for missed meetings! Let me know if you have any questions.

03/05/2025

I'm officially starting my virtual ADHD support group this month on March 25th and I plan to offer this space weekly on Tuesdays at 3:00pm EST for the foreseeable future. Please let me know if you have questions or are interested in joining or referring a participant.

10/08/2024

I've been getting a number of inquiries recently about the availability of sliding scale rates in my practice and I wanted to give some clarity on my socials about this because I understand it's a little bit complicated. I don't offer as much sliding scale openings as I used to but it's still an important part of my practice. My sliding scale rates take 3 forms:

1. If you are in a financially limited situation that is potentially temporary I am often comfortable extending a time-limited introductory rate. This often applies to people experiencing unemployment, temporary disability, or re-skilling.

2. I maintain a few "permanent" sliding scale slots to new clients on an ongoing basis. I manage those slots through Open Path Collective and you can always check https://openpathcollective.org/clinicians/sam-wilson/ to see if there is availability. Long term financial need is a major consideration in determining qualification for these spots but it's not the only consideration.

3. I have a handful of legacy clients who have a lower rate either because we initially contracted under a lower rate or I extended them a sliding scale rate prior to starting my Open Path account. I have always honored my commitments to clients and the best way to avoid (unfortunately inevitable) higher rates in the future is to lock in a rate contract with me now.

Let me know if you have any further questions. And if you're one of the majority of my clients who pay full rate (or use out of network benefits) please know that part of what you are supporting is my ability to offer lower rates to special populations and some folks who are currently struggling financially.

Sam Wilson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Kensington, MD; Sam Wilson specializes in Anger Management, Attention Deficit (ADHD), Hyper Sexuality or Sexual Compulsions, Bipolar Disorder, Adjustment Disorders

11/02/2023

I'll be attending the 2nd annual PESI ADHD Summit (online) next week. In case anyone wants to join in:

Get a front-row seat to join our experts at the 2-day Virtual ADHD Summit on November 9–10, 2023!

05/02/2023

Hello fellow mental health practitioners. Just thought I'd introduce myself to the group and take the chance to self-promote a little bit. I grew up in Maryland but moved away for about 20 years and just moved back in 2019. In the meantime I lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, Mexico, and Portland. I started my private practice in Portland in 2015. I see adult individuals and couples via teletherapy and although I don't currently work with teens I have some experience with them and love working with young adults. I specialize in adult ADHD, mood disorders including bipolar II/Cyclothymia, relationship issues, men's issues including anger management and sexual performance, and behavioral addictions/compulsions. I have a background in community mental health, homelessness, and severe and persistent mental health and I am comfortable working with a higher level of acuity than many providers, as long as the client is open to medication and proactive in treatment. I don't operate out of a manual but I like using mindfulness and exposure techniques and ACT is my guiding philosophy. If you're in southern or central Montgomery County I'd love to get together for coffee and we can get to know eachother and our practices. My afternoons are relatively full but I have a couple of spaces. Primarily I am seeking clients for the late morning hours (most days I'm available by 9:30am) and I'm willing to extend more generous sliding scale to clients who want to meet consistently in the morning. Here's a blog post I made recently that is connected to my website. You can email me at SamWilsonLCSW@gmail.com

The mental and sometimes physical experience of pain embedded in depression drives patients, their loved ones, and many treatment providers to seek a uniform understanding of depression’s causes. I think it’s misguided to provide one. There is no unified theory of depression, and there may never...

04/28/2023

I wanted to share a new blog post I wrote that explains some of the ways that I help clients conceptualize the causes of their depression.

The mental and sometimes physical experience of pain embedded in depression drives patients, their loved ones, and many treatment providers to seek a uniform understanding of depression’s causes. I think it’s misguided to provide one. There is no unified theory of depression, and there may never...

04/19/2023

All the listing sites are asking for these now so I took the plunge. I'll definitely improve on this in the future and possibly memory-hole the original at some point but I thought it might be fun to take you along for the process of updating my essentially moth-balled socials. Hi!

I'm a clinical social worker licensed in Maryland in Oregon and now accepting clients for teletherapy. Email me at SamWilsonLCSW@gmail.com if you're an adult...

12/17/2020

Something to be aware of when seeking treatment for depression.

SSRI Induced Apathy Syndrome

09/04/2020

Due to a slight expansion of my practice I have some weekly timeslots available for late morning teletherapy sessions at 10:00 or 10:30am EST Tuesday and Thursday. These should work well for Oregonians as well if you want therapy before work! I still have intermittent availability in the afternoon and evening for those who want less frequent sessions.

04/09/2020

Due to COVID-19 stay at home orders I have suspended office and home-based services. I do offer teletherapy via video chat to clients residing in both Oregon and Maryland, as I am clinically licensed to practice in both states at this time. Pricing is flexible due to the hardships imposed by Coronavirus. Sessions are currently available 1-5pm EST on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays as well as starting at 8pm EST M-Th. Weekend sessions are also potentially available for couples or individuals able to pay my full standard rate of $150.