Sam Gregory, LMSW • Ankeny, Iowa
Therapy for Young Adults, Anxiety & Relationships in Ankeny
A safe, playful, and curious space to understand what is really keeping you stuck.
Sam works with teens 12+, adults, and couples—especially young adults navigating college or post-college transitions, anxiety, identity and relationship concerns, and people who want Christian faith thoughtfully integrated into therapy.
Teens 12+ • Adults • Couples • In-person in Ankeny • Telehealth available • 515.289.3757
Teens 12+ • Adults • Couples • Young Adults • Anxiety • Christian Counseling • Ankeny
Practical details
A few things to know before you reach out.
Who Sam sees: Teens age 12+, adults, and couples
Location: 213 N Ankeny Blvd, Suite 100, Ankeny, IA 50023
Telehealth: Yes
Schedule: Sam is out of the office on Tuesdays
Strongest areas: Young adults and college/post-college transitions, anxiety, and Christian counseling
Other populations and concerns: Teens, autism, athletes, men’s issues, and couples
Clinical approach: Primarily Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); with couples, Sam also draws from EFT and the Thriving Couples model
Not a fit for: Open/polyamorous relationship counseling or couples where domestic violence is present
Phone: 515.289.3757
When knowing the answer is not enough
You may already know what you “should” do—and still feel stuck.
A lot of people come to therapy with plenty of insight. They can explain the pattern, name the problem, and even tell you what a healthier response would probably look like. Yet something underneath keeps pulling them back into the same reactions, fears, or relationships.
Sam is less interested in giving you another list of obvious answers and more interested in helping you become curious about the emotional and unconscious experiences beneath the surface.
Sometimes acceptance is not giving up. It is the thing that finally creates enough freedom to move.
Where Sam can help
For people trying to live with more freedom, confidence, and connection.
Sam’s work blends practical help with deeper exploration of the patterns, emotions, beliefs, and relationships that shape how you experience yourself and your life.
Young Adults & Life Transitions
College, post-college life, career changes, independence, relationships, and questions about identity can create more pressure than people expect. Sam especially enjoys helping young adults sort through anxiety, expectations, uncertainty, and the challenge of building a life that actually fits who they are becoming.
Anxiety, Confidence & Unhealthy Patterns
Sam helps clients explore what anxiety and familiar patterns are trying to accomplish rather than simply fighting them. The work can involve building internal security, developing confidence, clarifying core values, and breaking down patterns that no longer serve you so something healthier can be built in their place.
Christian Counseling, Couples & Relationships
For clients who want faith to be part of therapy, Sam is comfortable integrating Christian beliefs and theological questions into the work. He also works with couples who want to understand the deeper emotional patterns beneath conflict and develop a more secure, meaningful connection.
About Sam
Casual, thoughtful, and willing to laugh when the moment allows.
Sam became a therapist because he believes personal connection is one of the most meaningful parts of being human. Therapy gives him the opportunity to build that kind of relationship while helping individuals and couples connect more meaningfully with the people in their lives and experience a greater sense of fulfillment and joy.
He tends to connect especially well with people who can be both playful and curious. Sam enjoys working with clients who are intellectual or insightful but want help bringing what they understand cognitively into better alignment with what they experience emotionally and underneath the surface.
Outside the therapy room, Sam is usually pretty casual. He enjoys powerlifting and music, is a former collegiate wrestler, and has a strong interest in theology. Those parts of his personality naturally show up in the warmth, humor, and curiosity he brings to therapy.
How Sam thinks about therapy
Acceptance is not surrender. It can be the beginning of freedom.
Sam often sees people become afraid of acceptance because it feels like giving up or becoming stagnant. His experience is often the opposite: refusing to accept what is already present can be part of what keeps us stuck.
Get Curious About What Is Underneath
Instead of stopping with the obvious thought or behavior, slow down enough to notice the emotions, beliefs, needs, protective reactions, and relationship patterns beneath it.
Practice Acceptance Without Giving Up
Learn to make room for difficult emotions and experiences without letting them dictate your life. Acceptance and forgiveness can create room for a different response.
Build a Life That Fits Your Values
Strengthen confidence and internal security, clarify what matters most, and begin rebuilding patterns around the kind of person and relationships you want to cultivate.
Sam primarily works from Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). With couples, he also draws from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and the Thriving Couples model. His approach is practical and insight-oriented, but the deeper goal is lasting change that reaches beyond simply knowing what you should think or do.
Therapy with Sam
Safe, playful, curious—and serious when it needs to be.
Sam likes therapy to feel human. He uses humor often, follows the client’s lead within the session, and tries to make room for lightness when the moment allows. When difficult or vulnerable emotions show up, he meets them with acceptance and warmth rather than trying to rush past them.
He can be practical and will tell you what he thinks when that is genuinely what you are looking for. But most of the time, people already know the surface-level advice. Sam would rather help you dig deeper into why the same pattern keeps showing up and what might actually create lasting change.
He does not assign homework often. The work is collaborative and flexible, with enough challenge to keep therapy moving without turning it into another performance or assignment.
Who tends to connect well with Sam
For people who can be curious about themselves—and do not mind a little humor along the way.
Sam tends to be a particularly good fit for clients who want therapy to be meaningful without feeling overly formal, and who are willing to explore both the way they think and the emotional experiences underneath.
You are in a transition and are not sure what comes next.
College, post-college life, career decisions, relationships, and growing independence can create anxiety and uncertainty. Sam can help you sort through what matters and build greater confidence in your direction.
You are insightful but still feel stuck.
You may already understand your patterns intellectually. Sam especially enjoys helping people connect that insight with the emotional and unconscious experiences that keep those patterns alive.
You want faith, personality, or life experience to be welcome in therapy.
Sam is comfortable integrating Christian faith when you want it included. He also often connects well with athletes, men, autistic clients, and people who appreciate a therapist who can be thoughtful, casual, and playful without avoiding difficult conversations.
Ready when you are
You do not have to stay stuck just because you understand the problem.
If Sam’s warm, curious, and practical approach sounds like a good fit, complete the form and our team can help you take the next step.
Teens 12+ • Adults • Couples • Ankeny • Telehealth available
515.289.3757
Book an Appointment with Sam
Complete the form below and our team will follow up with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before your first appointment
Who does Sam work with?
Sam works with teens age 12+, adults, and couples.
Does Sam offer telehealth?
Yes. Sam offers telehealth in addition to in-person counseling in Ankeny.
What concerns does Sam commonly work with?
His strongest areas include young adults and college/post-college transitions, anxiety, and Christian counseling. He also commonly works with teens, autistic clients, athletes, men’s issues, and couples.
Does Sam see couples?
Yes. Sam works with couples and draws from EFT and the Thriving Couples model. He is not the best fit for open/polyamorous relationship counseling or couples where domestic violence is present.
Does Sam offer Christian counseling?
Yes. Christian counseling is one of Sam’s strongest areas, and he is comfortable bringing faith and theological questions into therapy when clients want those to be part of the conversation.
What is therapy with Sam like?
Sam describes therapy as safe, playful, and curious. He uses humor often, follows your lead within the session, and can be practical and challenging when helpful while still meeting difficult emotions with warmth and acceptance.
What therapy approaches does Sam use?
Sam primarily uses Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). With couples, he also uses Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and the Thriving Couples model.
Does Sam give homework?
Not often. Sam generally prefers the work to happen collaboratively in the session and will use between-session work selectively rather than routinely.
Where is the Ankeny office?
213 N Ankeny Blvd, Suite 100, Ankeny, IA 50023.
When is Sam available?
Sam is out of the office on Tuesdays. For current appointment openings, complete the form above or call 515.289.3757.
Acceptance is not giving up. It can be the beginning of freedom.
Therapy can help you understand what is happening beneath the surface, build greater confidence and internal security, and create more freedom to live in a way that reflects who you want to be and what matters most to you.