Get to know me
Hi, I'm Samantha ParanavitanaIf you are taking the time to read about me, maybe what you really want to know is - can I understand and hold your pain?
You want to know if you will feel comfortable and safe enough with me to share your concerns and express yourself freely.
My lifelong interest in wellness stems from navigating the rough seas of my own personal challenges. I get it. I know how it feels to be stuck and overwhelmed too. Psychotherapy and somatic therapies gave me the tools to live with greater ease and in better alignment with myself and my life’s true purpose.
I am happiest sharing these resources with my clients. I especially enjoy supporting clinicians, educators and caregivers. I love holding the space for you to receive nurturing support and seeing you bloom and thrive.
My Journey
01
Awareness
I worked overseas for many years, in a diverse, multicultural community, teaching yoga and meditation classes, and maintaining a craniosacral and remedial massage clinic. In my clinical practice, I became keenly aware of the intricacy of connections between thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, and the long-term impacts of unprocessed trauma on the body, relationships and wellbeing.
02
Compassion
My quest for a more holistic model of health and wellness led me to a 4-year long depth psychotherapy training. This was a profoundly life changing experience, which equipped me with the depth of presence which now allows me to hold my clients, and all that they bring, with true compassion.
03
Gratitude
04
Commitment
05
Assurance
My Professional Background
Education
- Master of Arts in Psychotherapeutic Practice (Middlesex University, UK)
- Graduate Diploma in Core Process Psychotherapy (Karuna Institute, UK)
- Graduate Diploma in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (Karuna Institute, UK)
- Foundation Graduate of the NeuroAffective Touch® Institute. (USA)
- 500 hr Mindfulness Yoga Teacher (Bodhi Yoga International, Spain)
Professional Associations
- Registered clinical member of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
- Overseas Associate member of the Association of Core Process Psychotherapists (UK)
- Member of International Institute of Complementary Therapists
A little more about me
I am a fellow traveller on the search for the meaning in life and all of its mysteries.
In my free time you will find me chasing the sunshine, bathing in nature, meditating, practicing yin, baking, spending time with my family and most often, reading a book and cuddling my fur babies.
Testimonials
I’m incredibly grateful for my sessions with Samantha. Her gentle approach and extensive knowledge in her field have been truly transformative. I often forget how much support I need, but each visit with her feels like a much-needed recharge and rest. Her therapy room is perfectly designed to foster comfort and focus, enhancing the overall experience. Samantha has a remarkable ability to ask the right questions, hold space for me, and provide energy that feels both nurturing and insightful. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking a thoughtful and supportive therapist.
S. Morsi
Samantha is a highly accomplished and skilled therapist.She has a calm confidence.She is a natural healer and connects with people very well.I am absolutely confident in referring clients to her,she is friendly,empathic and very open to collaboration.Samantha holds her clients wellbeing and interests at the highest priority and was a significant asset to my clinical team.
Dr L. Peters
Choosing to work with Samantha has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my wellness journey, she has helped me navigate and overcome challenging situations and develop trust and deeper understanding within myself. Somatic therapy has allowed me to develop a deeper relationship with my body and I appreciate Samantha’s explanations and teaching of somatic principles throughout our sessions. I’ve been seeing her for about 3 years, and she has helped me grow so much and has been consistently supportive and amazing to work with.
Jelena D.
Samantha is an amazing practitioner. Highly intuitive and skilled at listening to your body’s signals as well as your mind and in doing so able to support the parasympathetic nervous system to amplify your body’s own healing network. I have tried many practitioners over 15 years with my debilitating chronic health conditions Samantha is one of the best I have experienced, and I am adding her to my healing team. I highly recommend her if you feel craniosacral therapy can support your healing journey.
A. Allen
The experience of being held by the NeuroAffective Touch work and Samantha’s gentle and steady presence, was so deeply nourishing that I walked away with a new experience of myself and my needs. My body’s needs were heard and met. So very grateful for this work.
T. Virgona
As a busy mum, who works as a psychologist, I found my session with Sam extremely beneficial. Sam possesses a caring and gentle manner & the therapy room was an inviting and peaceful sanctuary from the outside world. The whole therapy process felt very nurturing and individualised to what my body needed at that time to feel comfortable and warm. In this safe space, I could feel both my bodily tension slowly dissipate and an emotional release. As the session continued, I experienced a floating session akin to being held in a mother’s womb. I would highly recommend these therapy sessions as a preventative strategy for burnout and to enable the processing of high levels of stress in the body.
Judith Lewis, M.Psych. MAPS
Even in stressful circumstance where pain is involved, Samantha creates and holds a space for her clients that is outstanding in its purity and reassurance, she is kind and perceptive, very knowledgeable and- quite simply has a magic touch.
H. Deverell
When I first heard that Samantha does distance cranial sacral work I was quite doubtful and in disbelief that this could work. I was surprised to notice warmth and flows of energy in areas where she told me she had placed her hands in her minds eye. I could sense Samantha’s presence and her gentle and supportive holding throughout the session. It gave my body a sense of safety and allowed me to let go and open. The headache and tension had shifted by the end of the treatment and, most surprisingly, I felt like wrapped in a coating of loving care that lasted for hours after.
