How I Support Your Healing
Welcome!
I’m really glad you’re here.
I’m Samantha Grimaldi, and I’m here to walk with you through whatever challenges you’re facing, whether it’s trauma, anxiety, depression, or a tough life transition. Together, we’ll co-create a path toward healing, resilience, and growth at a pace that feels right for you.
About Me + My Approach
If you’re feeling like your past is still holding you back, despite everything you’ve learned and overcome, I’m here to help. It can be frustrating when you’ve done the hard work of gaining insight, but change still feels out of reach. You’re not alone in feeling this way, and I’m here to support you in moving forward at a pace that feels safe and manageable.
I’ve spent over a decade working with people who, like you, are navigating trauma and life’s difficult transitions. With my background in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and specialized training in trauma-informed care, I bring both expertise and deep empathy to our work together.
At CoCreate Healing Center, I integrate approaches like Polyvagal Theory and mindful self-compassion to help you reconnect with your body and move beyond old patterns. My goal is to create a space where you feel seen, supported, and empowered to live more fully in your life.
My approach is all about meeting you where you are.
We’ll move at your pace, respecting your boundaries and honoring your unique experiences. I believe healing is deeply personal, and I’m here to help you discover what works for you, in your own time.
Whether you’re looking to process trauma, manage anxiety, or navigate big life changes, I’m here with you every step of the way.
Foundations of My Therapy Approach
Client-Centered:
In our work together, you’ll always be at the center of the process. A client-centered approach means that therapy revolves around your needs, experiences, and pace. Rooted in Carl Rogers’ principles, my focus is on meeting you where you are, offering empathy, authenticity, and unconditional positive regard. You know yourself best, and my role is simply to support you in uncovering the answers that are already within you. We’ll work side-by-side, ensuring that every part of your healing journey feels right for you. This is a space where your autonomy is respected, and together, we’ll create a safe, non-judgmental environment where you can explore your thoughts, feelings, and goals in a way that feels comfortable and empowering.
Trauma-Informed:
As someone who understands how deeply trauma can affect every part of your life, I approach our work with care and compassion. A trauma-informed approach means we’re not just talking about your experiences, we’re honoring how those experiences have shaped the way you navigate the world. Together, we’ll look at how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors have been impacted, always with the goal of creating a sense of safety. Your responses, even the ones that feel difficult, are ways you’ve adapted to survive. My priority is to make sure you feel seen, heard and supported as we work together. We’ll go at your pace, focusing on helping you feel more connected to yourself and in control of your healing. Over time, we’ll work on building resilience, emotional growth, and a sense of empowerment. I am dedicated to avoiding re-traumatization and my hope is that you’ll leave each session feeling more connected to your inner strength and the life you want to create.
The Tools I Use to Help You Heal
I believe healing is personal, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. That’s why I like to draw from a variety of therapeutic tools and techniques, tailoring our sessions to what feels right for you and your unique journey. Here’s a glimpse of some of the approaches we might use together:
Polyvagal Theory: We’ll take some time to understand how your nervous system reacts to stress and why it responds the way it does. I’ll help you recognize when your body feels unsafe, even if there’s no immediate threat, and together, we’ll work on ways to bring yourself back to a place of safety. Along the way, we’ll also practice self-compassion, acknowledging that your body has been doing its best to protect you, even when it feels overwhelming.
Mindful Self-Compassion: Difficult emotions don’t have to feel like your enemy. I’ll guide you in learning how to respond to yourself with kindness, even when things are hard. By shifting away from self-criticism, we’ll help you build more resilience and make space for healing.
Somatic Awareness: At a pace that feels comfortable, we’ll gently explore how you experience emotions and sensations in your body. This deeper connection between mind and body can help you feel more grounded, present, and aware of what you’re carrying physically and emotionally.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Informed Skills Training: Sometimes emotions can feel like they’re running the show. I’ll share practical skills to help you manage intense feelings, stay mindful in tough moments, and reduce impulsive behaviors. We’ll also explore ways to strengthen your relationships and feel more in control of how you respond.
Relational Therapy: Our relationship in therapy will be a safe space where you can practice trust, openness, and authenticity. The work we do together can serve as a model for building healthier, more connected relationships in your life outside of therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): If you’re feeling stuck in unhelpful thought patterns, CBT can help. We’ll work together to identify and shift those negative beliefs that might be fueling anxiety or depression. The goal is to empower you to approach life with more clarity and confidence.
Parts Work: We all have different parts of ourselves, some that are wounded, some that are protective, and some that are wise. I’ll help you get to know these parts, so we can create more inner balance and resolve any internal conflicts that are keeping you stuck.
Expressive Art Techniques: Sometimes words aren’t enough. I’ll encourage you to use creative expression, like drawing or writing, to process emotions, work through trauma, and gain personal insight. No artistic skill is required, just an openness to explore.
About My Logo: “The Healing Eye Tree” + How It Embodies My Approach To Therapy
Eyes and trees have always been deeply meaningful symbols in my life and healing journey. Growing up, they were my go-to doodles in class, and as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to embrace these images as powerful representations of healing. After graduating from undergrad, I was gifted a beautiful painting that has stayed with me ever since. It depicts an eye crying a waterfall, with eyelashes turning into flowers. This painting has hung in my therapy offices since 2019 and has often sparked meaningful conversations with my clients about growth, release, and transformation.
When I started CoCreate Healing Center, I knew I wanted a logo that reflected these symbols and to capture my interpretation of what I call "The Healing Eye Tree." With the help of my talented friend Emily Krafft, who brought this vision to life, the logo embodies the core principles that guide my work with clients: self-awareness, emotional release, growth, and reconnection. Each element mirrors the steps we take in therapy: gaining insight, processing pain, fostering growth, and reconnecting with our inner selves.
Here’s a breakdown of the symbolism:
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"We grow"
The flowers represent growth, the way we evolve and bloom as we engage in our healing journey. Just like a plant needs nurturing, sunlight, and time to grow, we, too, require patience and care as we move through trauma.
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"through mindful awareness"
The eye symbolizes the awareness we must cultivate as we begin to understand and process our trauma. It’s about truly seeing ourselves, our pain, our triggers, our patterns, and embracing that awareness as the first step towards healing.
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"by feeling and releasing pain"
Tears signify the importance of feeling and releasing the pain that comes with trauma. They remind us that healing isn’t just about moving past pain but allowing ourselves to fully experience it in a safe, supportive environment.
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"cultivating self-compassion and reconnecting to our roots"
The roots symbolize grounding, reconnecting to our core and cultivating self-compassion along the way. Trauma often disconnects us from ourselves, and through therapy, we work on rebuilding that connection, creating a sense of safety and stability. The roots also represent the deeper work of reconnecting with our values, identity, and sense of self as we grow through the healing process.
Fun Facts About Me
Music is my life
I grew up in a family of musicians, and music has always been a huge part of my life and my healing journey. I believe music is a universal language that can express emotions and experiences we sometimes struggle to put into words. It has a special way of calming the nervous system and helping us connect more deeply with our emotions. My current favorite artist is Angie McMahon. Her music feels incredibly regulating and healing to my nervous system.
Over the past four+ years, I have curated public playlists that you can find on my ‘CoCreate Healing Center’ Spotify account, each designed to support regulating through different emotional states. These playlists include a down-regulating playlist for anxious moments, an up-regulating playlist for when you’re feeling shut down, a soothing voices and mantras playlist for grounding and creating a sense of peace (my personal favorite!), and a cathartic "feels and heals" playlist for when you need an emotional release. I’ve poured a lot of love into these playlists, and I invite you to check them out. Music is such a powerful tool for healing, and I’m excited to share that with you!
I love sunsets and the beach (as cliché as it sounds!)
Being by the water is where I feel most grounded. Watching the waves and witnessing the changing colors of the sky during sunset has become one of my favorite mindfulness practices. It's a reminder to embrace the present moment, and it’s an approach I encourage in my therapeutic work. By reconnecting with nature, we can find balance and clarity even amidst life’s challenges.
I’m a total bookworm
Whether it’s fiction, psychology, or self-help, I am always reading something. Books help me continually grow both personally and professionally. I love incorporating insights from what I read into my work, especially when it comes to the human experience and healing trauma. My Kindle is my favorite thing I own. My husband even gifted me a page-turner clicker for it for nighttime reading! (Game-changer!)
I’m committed to my own healing
As much as I am committed to helping others on their path to healing, I am equally committed to my own personal growth and well-being. I regularly engage in my own therapy, yoga, breath work, mindfulness, meditation, journaling practice, inner child work and more to stay connected to my own healing. I believe that I can only guide clients through what I am also committed to working on myself. This helps me stay grounded and ensures that I’m continually growing alongside the clients I support.