“Change starts with honest connection. My goal is to create a space where students feel seen and supported—while also being gently challenged to grow. By blending evidence-based therapy with authentic relationships, I help young people build resilience, motivation, and meaningful family connection.”
Sam Verutti
LCSW, LAC
Summit Therapist
CREDENTIALS
Master of Social Work, Simmons College
Adventure Education, Fort Lewis College
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (Utah, California, Colorado)
Licensed Addictions Counselor (Colorado)
Clinical Experience: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy
PHILOSOPHY
Sam’s approach centers on building authentic relationships and fostering self-awareness, emotional resilience, and personal accountability. His style is both warm and direct—balancing emotional safety with healthy challenge. Sam particularly aims to inspire change in the students he works with; helping students to cultivate internal motivation, strengthen self-confidence, and improve interpersonal and familial connections.
PROFESSIONAL
Sam Verutti brings over thirteen years of experience working with adolescents, young adults, and families across a wide range of therapeutic settings. Before joining Gateway Academy, Sam worked across diverse clinical environments, including wilderness therapy, community mental health, and school-based programs. These experiences shaped his holistic, family-systems-informed perspective and strengthened his ability to support clients navigating complex emotional, behavioral, and relational dynamics.
At Gateway, he provides individual, group, and family therapy, supporting students through the challenges of residential treatment with compassion, structure, and clinical depth. Utilizing an experiential, process-oriented approach, Sam integrates evidence-based modalities including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), narrative therapy, and solution-focused interventions. He collaborates closely with students and families to help them translate therapeutic insight into meaningful, lasting change.
PERSONAL
Outside of work, Sam finds balance and renewal in the natural world. He enjoys fly fishing, mountain biking, kayaking, and exploring nearby mountains and canyons—places that help him reconnect with the patience, perspective, and mindfulness he brings to his clinical practice.
CREATING SUCCESS
Sam’s path into the field began in the outdoors, where he led backcountry expeditions and facilitated therapeutic growth, supporting students as they worked to strengthen skills for navigating the challenges, uncertainty, and adversity of living outdoors. While his current work is grounded in more traditional settings, he continues to draw on the core values of presence, grit, and curiosity that guided his early professional journey.