Sam Erlenbaugh, LCPC

Hi, I’m Sam. I’m so glad to be able to laugh with you along your journey!

Co-Founder, ERP Therapist, Partner, and Lover of Laughter.

“The only way to overcome anxiety is to go through it while loving yourself the entire way.”

I am someone who loves to spend time with the people in my life, it energizes me. It is who I am as a person, is who I am as a therapist/coach. Which is why I put my full heart into building strong and caring relationships with my clients.

My superpower is helping you to love yourself enough to know you can be at peace from anxiety and that you have the resilience to overcome anything. You’re worthy of changing the script and achieving peace in your life. I’m here to motivate and encourage you along the way. 

To get there, we need to re-learn self-love and self-compassion. This is why my therapy approach is just me – warm and empathetic with a splash of humour, providing a nurturing atmosphere for you to re-build that love and compassion for yourself. 

I understand. Like you, I’ve also struggled with anxiety. I’m proof that there’s hope you can work through it and come out stronger on the other side. Together, we’ll develop your confidence, self-esteem, and equip you with empowerment skills to rely on when life gets tough. You’ll have an active listener to validate what you’re experiencing and to help you make positive changes in your life. 

Using CBT and Exposure Response Prevention Therapy (ERP), I can help you face your anxiety-inducing thoughts, feelings and situations in a safe, controlled environment.  There’s nothing I love more than hearing clients tell me they’re able to easily accomplish things now that used to give them crippling anxiety. 

One of the gifts I bring to The Centered Life Therapy Center is humour and helping others re-discover peace. I bring this humour to therapy sessions, encouraging my clients to laugh – a lot. 

All my life, I’ve wanted to be a light for my community – to help people and show them they’re not alone. That’s why I chose to bring The Centered Life back to my hometown, Naperville, to raise awareness about and de-stigmatize mental health. 

You can also find me leading Dare to End Anxiety, coaching female entrepreneurs to conquer the fear getting in the way of their success. Using therapy and coaching together is especially effective because therapy is the ‘why’ and coaching is the ‘what.’ Therapy deepens your understanding and self-awareness about your past and coaching helps you use that knowledge as a tool to achieve your future goals. 

Outside of work, I’m an awkward funny person who doesn’t take myself too seriously. I love light-hearted things that make me laugh, like dancing, singing, and just being goofy.