In Tagalog, “sama” means “to go with.”
A simple yet powerful word that captures the heart of this practice. Sama Counselling was founded on the belief that healing doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens with support, with compassion, and with someone beside you.
At Sama Counselling, clients are not expected to navigate their healing alone. Instead, they are met with care, cultural sensitivity, and a relational approach that honours each person’s lived experience.
Sama Counselling offers supportive, culturally responsive therapy for individuals and families across Ontario and beyond—walking alongside clients as they move toward greater connection, steadiness, and self-understanding.
Meet the Founder
Hazel Erika Diaz is the founder of Sama Counselling and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) and Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying). Based in Calgary, Alberta, Hazel works with individuals who are often high-functioning on the outside while quietly navigating anxiety, overthinking, self-doubt, or the feeling of being caught between “too much” and “not enough.”
Many of Hazel’s clients are people others rely on—the helpers, the over-thinkers, and those who learned early how to be strong, responsible, or emotionally aware. Clients may resonate with anxious attachment, ADHD, autism, or find themselves in the midst of a life transition where familiar coping strategies no longer fit. Whether someone is new to therapy or returning with deeper questions, Hazel offers a space that feels grounded, thoughtful, and supportive.
Hazel’s approach is trauma-informed, relational, and emotionally attuned, with a solution-focused lens that helps translate insight into meaningful, practical change. Her work explores how the nervous system, relationships, upbringing, and sense of identity intersect, while also helping clients identify what is already working, clarify what they want more of, and take small, intentional steps toward feeling more grounded and capable in everyday life.
Her work is also gently informed by her experience as a second-generation Filipino immigrant, shaping a sensitivity to cultural expectations, responsibility, and the quiet ways people learn to put others’ needs before their own.
Hazel believes that no one should have to carry everything alone. She is honoured to walk alongside individuals who are ready to feel more connected, steady, and at home within themselves.
"Matibay ang walis, palibhasa’y magkabigkis."
True strength doesn’t come from standing alone; it grows from connection. Like a traditional Filipino walis (broom), which becomes powerful only when each strand is tied together, we become more resilient through relationships—with ourselves, with others, and with our shared stories. This Filipino wisdom reminds us that healing, resilience, and community are intertwined, guiding my culturally sensitive approach to therapy and personal growth.