About Samantha
Hi, I'm Samantha Heinly!
If we've found each other, there's a good chance you're carrying more than anyone realizes.
Maybe you're the person everyone depends on. Maybe you've spent years trying to be "easy," "strong," or "low maintenance." Maybe becoming a parent has turned your world upside down, or you're trying to build a life that feels true to who you are in a world that doesn't always make that easy.
Wherever you are, I'm glad you're here.
Long before I became a therapist, I was fascinated by people and the stories that shape us. At UT Austin, I studied Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies, where I spent countless hours learning about systems of oppression, gender, identity, and the ways our environments influence how we move through the world.
But eventually I found myself asking a different question:
What do we actually do with all of this?
Understanding the problem is important. Helping real people heal from it is even better.
That question led me to social work.
Over the past eight years, I've worked with people navigating substance use, trauma, anxiety, life transitions, and relationship challenges. Along the way, I earned my Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C), trained in harm reduction with Dr. Andrew Tatarsky, and am currently completing training in EMDR.
Then life reminded me that therapists are human, too.
In 2023, I became a mom. Like so many new parents, I discovered that no amount of education fully prepares you for the emotional, physical, relational, and identity shifts that come with postpartum. Even with all my training, I found myself needing support.
That experience changed me.
It deepened my belief that caring for parents isn't just about helping one person—it's about supporting entire families and future generations. It also reinforced something I've always believed: asking for help is one of the bravest things we can do.
Today, I primarily work with women, mothers, queer individuals, and young adults who are tired of carrying expectations that were never theirs to begin with.
Together we'll explore the patterns that keep showing up in your life, understand where they came from, and build practical tools to help you create something different. I won't tell you who you should become. Instead, I'll help you reconnect with who you've been all along underneath the anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or self-doubt.
Outside of therapy, you'll usually find my hands full with my two little boys, working on a quilting, knitting, or cross-stitch project, checking out new breweries with my husband, or counting down the days until our annual trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival. I also firmly believe board games are an underrated form of self-care (ask me for reccs!).
I know starting therapy can feel intimidating. My hope is that when we meet for our first session, you'll feel like you don't have to have all the answers—or have everything figured out. We can take things one step at a time, at a pace that feels safe for you.
I'd be honored to meet you wherever you are and help you move toward a life that feels more authentic, connected, and compassionate.
