Education

Samera is a graduate of The Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR), an internationally accredited post-graduate certification program in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Studio Art at Oberlin College and a Master of Social Science degree in Psychoanalytic Studies at The Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research. As part of her graduate work, Samera spent a year at the University of Paris VII, studying the intersections between philosophy, literature, psychoanalysis and art. Although she works primarily in English, she is also proficient in French and occasionally offers consultations and treatment in French.

Credentials

Samera is a New York State licensed Psychoanalyst and Psychotherapist with a Master’s degree in Social Science. As a graduate and member of IPTAR, she has fulfilled the educational requirements established by the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) and is a member and Fellow of the International Psychoanalytic Association (FIPA). Fellows of the IPA have fully satisfied all educational requirements set forth for qualification as a psychoanalyst and IPA member. The FIPA credential has been conferred on North American members to enable the public to identify psychoanalysts trained according to IPA standards. These credentials are represented by the following abbreviations:

– MSSc: Master of Social Science, Psychoanalytic Studies

– LP: Licensed Psychoanalyst, New York State

– FIPA: Fellow of the International Psychoanalytic Association

Experience

In addition to seeing a wide range of patients in a private practice setting since 2001, Samera’s professional experience includes:

– Pro Bono Counseling for individuals seeking asylum in the U.S. via the International Rescue Committee and IPTAR’s Asylum-Seekers Treatment Program (2017 - Present)

– Supervisor for candidates in IPTAR's Respecialization Program (2011 - 2015)

– Pro Bono Therapist for survivors of human rights abuses seeking asylum in the U.S. via HealthRight International and IPTAR’s Asylum-Seekers Treatment Program (2009 - 2013)

– Member of Teaching Faculty at The Psychoanalytic Training Institute, The New York Counseling and Guidance Service (2008 - 2009)

– Expert Clinical Evaluator for several research studies focused on depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress at the New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University (2006 - 2008)

– Peer Advisor for candidates in IPTAR's Adult Training Program (2005 - 2008)

– Board Member and Outreach Committee Chair at the IPTAR Clinical Center (2004 - 2007)

– Individual and Group Counselor for at-risk NYC Public School children aged 5-15, integrating counseling, art, writing and martial arts (2001 - 2006)

– Facilitated dialogue between Arab and Jewish students at Columbia University’s School for International & Public Affairs after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan (2002)

– Coexistence Facilitator for Palestinian and Israeli adolescents at the Seeds of Peace International Camp summer program (2001 & 2002)

– Individual and Group Therapist for French-speaking African patients at the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture (2001 - 2002)

– Facilitated dialogue among teenaged peace activists from Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Israel, Palestine, India and Pakistan at the United Nations following September 11th (2001)

– A-Team Crisis Counselor and Hotline Counselor addressing HIV/AIDS, sexual health, gender and identity at Gay Men’s Health Crisis (1996 - 2001)

Publications

Featured Clinician in "Fifty Shrinks," by Sebastian Zimmermann, 2014, pp.58-59.

“Beholding the Eye: Repetition, Trauma, and Writing in Bataille’s Story of the Eye,” in Inhabitants of the Unconscious: The Grotesque and the Vulgar in Everyday Life (New York: The Haworth Press, 2003), pp. 45-65.