Breath out, connect in and find holding.
Attuned counselling and art psychotherapy for the searching soul.
Claire Samara Therapy offers gentle and attuned counselling and art therapy for those seeking to soften into connection with their true self, to feel more authentic and connected in relationships, and for those wanting to shift out of old patterns and into new ways of being that evoke pride and trust in oneself.
Claire offers a relational approach, grounded in person-centred principals and somatic practices. She offers a space of holding for those who are feeling stuck, struggling with anxious and depressive states, moving through life transitions or grief and loss and those wanting to find more regulation and balance within themselves and their lives.
Whatever part of your journey you’re on, therapy can help to soften the edges, and create space to exhale, connect in and to feel seen and heard.
hello, I’m Claire,
A therapist based in the Northern Illawarra, NSW / Dharawal land. I’ve created Claire Samara Therapy to connect with and support adults on their healing journeys, both online and from a community hub in the Wollongong region (Woonona, NSW). I offer both counselling and art therapy sessions.
I’m a registered Psychotherapist and Art Therapist, and have a Master’s in Art Therapy from Western Sydney University.
In this space of healing, I bring the belief that nothing is ever fixed: tiny to monumental shifts can be experienced by all. Quite often the key to this is a gentle but deep acceptance of how we are in this moment (and of how we have been) and the desire to nurture a dialogue with the parts of our selves that feel unseen, unmet and are in need. From this place of witnessing and compassion, we can then start to respond differently within our relationship to ourselves and others, and to our challenges and triggers. I like to use person-centered counselling principles, somatic practices and attachment theory to support this process.
This belief is based not only on psychotherapy theory but on my own lived experience of healing also.
Into the therapeutic relationship, I bring myself - a woman, a life-long learner, a client, a mother-to-be, a partner, a daughter and a sister. I also bring with me 6 years of experience in the mental health / support space, having worked with children, teens and adults in community, hospital, clinical and out of home care spaces.
Ultimately, I believe there is a sense of grounding and empowerment that can come from deepening our relationship with ourselves, a sense I have experienced myself through therapy, and I wish to support others as they soften into this journey too.
xx Claire Samara Phillipps
Free initial connection call
Book in a free 15 minute call to connect, discuss your goals and to find out more.
I acknowledge that my work is situated on the lands of the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal Nation, which were never ceded. I acknowledge and pay my respects to the Elders, and their traditions of healing, deep listening and creativity.