Samantha Struthers Rader

Samantha Struthers Rader is the only child of actress Sally Struthers and psychiatrist William C. Rader. She grew up in Los Angeles, close to the entertainment industry through her mother while also being influenced by her father’s work in psychiatry.

Her parents married in Los Angeles in December 1977 and divorced in January 1983. Sally Struthers later recalled that she had expected a son during her pregnancy and was unprepared with a name for a daughter when Samantha was born.

Rader attended Vassar College and graduated in June 2001 with a double major in Cognitive Science and Eastern Religion. Her studies included neuroscience, artificial intelligence, robotics, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism.

She later earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology. Her academic background and nearly 18 years of psychotherapy training informed her work with childhood development, personality, relationships, and personal growth.

Rader became a licensed clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and educator rather than pursuing a sustained career in Hollywood. She spent 18 years in private practice and worked with ideas involving child development, personality, emotional patterns, and personal growth.

Before concentrating on psychology, she had a few small roles in behind-the-scenes work and independent films, including Gloria (1982), Joy (2009), and Persons of Interest (2010). She later shifted her focus toward teaching coaches and therapists and sharing mental-health ideas through workshops, speaking engagements, and online content.

Rader wrote Source Code: Recode the 12 Patterns that Shape Your Reality and teaches at the Esalen Institute. In 2022, she celebrated her work being cited in The New York Times, describing the recognition as the first time her work had received news coverage without her own planning and outreach.

Rader created the Source Code method after years of psychotherapy training and clinical work. The approach holds that early childhood experiences create patterns that influence adult reactions, relationships, stress, and beliefs. It combines psychology with ideas from neuroscience, relationships, and mindfulness to help people identify and change those patterns.

Rader has described Source Code as a quantum healing modality and has said that she moved away from standard clinical therapy because some clients spent years in treatment before experiencing lasting change. She now teaches the method to coaches and therapists as an approach to personal healing.

She is the founder and clinical director of Jade Tree Therapy and Sanctuary for Women in Los Angeles. The center provides therapy, coaching, support programs, and group experiences focused on emotional healing, confidence, and personal growth.