Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaina Singh.
Hi Shaina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a helper. As a child, I was the one offering advice, listening deeply, and holding space for others long before I even had the language for what I was doing. That instinct to care for others didn’t come out of nowhere—it was born from necessity. Growing up with early childhood trauma meant I had to mature far too soon emotionally. I grew up in post-colonial India, raised by my grandparents, after experiencing early childhood trauma. I was a child living in adult shoes, navigating the world with wisdom that came from survival. Looking back, I recognize that as a trauma response—but I also see it now as the very first spark that would ignite my path as a healer.
As someone who carries deep attachment wounds and the lived experience of trauma, I learned early that healing is not optional—it’s essential. It’s how we break cycles, reclaim our stories, and move toward freedom. My personal healing journey became the compass for my professional one.
At 18, I moved to the U.S. and began building a life here. During college, I started volunteering at a Children’s Advocacy Center, supporting young survivors of sexual abuse and other traumas. That experience forever changed me. Sitting with those children, bearing witness to their pain and astonishing resilience, lit a fire in me. And that fire burned even brighter because I, too, knew what it was like to be a child carrying wounds no one could see. The connection I felt to those young survivors was deeply personal, and it clarified something I already knew in my bones: I was meant to do this work.
I spent the first nine years of my career in social work, grounding myself in service, community, and advocacy. And in late 2015, I followed the pull of my purpose and opened my private practice.
Being a therapist is not just what I do—it’s who I am. This work is my calling. I’ve never once questioned whether I’m in the right profession. I wake up each day excited to sit with my clients, witness their courage, and walk alongside them in their healing.
My work centers on relationships, sexuality, and gender. I’m a trauma-informed, sex-positive, poly- and kink-affirming psychotherapist, sex therapist, and dating and relationship coach. I live and breathe relational work. I’m also a proud member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and am based in Austin, Texas. I approach therapy through an anti-oppression, anti-racist, inclusive lens rooted in social and reproductive justice. To me, these aren’t just values—they’re non-negotiables.
I take a holistic, anti-colonial approach to therapy, deeply informed by my cultural roots. I practiced yoga with my grandfather, who raised me alongside my grandmother. I remember sitting in quiet stillness with him, learning how to breathe, move, and be present—long before I understood how healing those practices were. That early connection to body-based wisdom now infuses my therapeutic work.
Our bodies carry more than muscle and bone—they hold memories, emotions, and generational stories. Grief, trauma, anger, joy, and resilience all live within us, often surfacing as pain, tension, or even numbness. That’s why I integrate somatic release work—breath, movement, and sound—into traditional talk therapy. This embodied work allows us to process what words alone often can’t reach. It opens the door to deep healing, authentic connection, and a return to the self.
In addition to my clinical work, I’m also a speaker and educator. I’ve led trainings for therapists on topics like Reproductive Justice and Its Ties to Racial Justice and Is Therapy Political?—I believe therapists must not only hold space but also take a stand.
I’m also a parent. Becoming one has expanded me in every way. It’s made me a more grounded, compassionate, and intentional therapist. Parenthood constantly reminds me of the fragility and power of human connection—and just how vital it is to create spaces where people can feel seen, safe, and whole.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road definitely hasn’t been smooth. One of my earliest challenges was simply figuring out how to pay for college after moving to the U.S. at 18. I arrived with big dreams and very little clarity on how I would make them happen. On top of the financial strain, I was faced with the overwhelming culture shock of a new country, new norms, and a deep, private grief for everything I had left behind. It was disorienting and lonely.
For years, I poured my energy into trying to belong. Assimilation became survival. But it also meant shrinking parts of myself—muting my voice, softening my edges, hiding parts of my identity just to feel safe. I learned how to navigate spaces where I was often the only one who looked like me, where I experienced racism that left its own kind of bruises—quiet, insidious, and deeply painful.
And then there was grief. The kind that knocks the wind out of you. Losing my stepfather—who was more like a father to me—shattered me. His love had been one of my grounding forces, and when he passed, I had to learn how to stand again without him. That loss opened a depth in me I hadn’t known before. It reminded me of the rawness of being human, and how vital it is to have spaces where we can fall apart and be held.
Each of these struggles shaped me. They taught me how to listen with my whole body. How to sit with sorrow, rage, and hope all at once. How to show up not just as a therapist, but as a fully feeling, deeply human witness to other people’s pain and transformation.
These aren’t just chapters in my story—they are the reason I do this work with so much
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a trauma-informed, relational, and holistic psychotherapist, sex therapist, and dating and relationship coach. My work is grounded in anti-oppression, anti-racism, and reproductive justice frameworks. I specialize in relationships, sexuality, gender, and trauma—and I work with individuals, couples, partnerships, and people in poly and kink communities. I’m proudly part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and deeply committed to creating inclusive, affirming spaces for all identities.
What sets my work apart is the way I integrate traditional talk therapy with somatic and body-based practices. I take a deeply holistic, anti-colonial approach—because healing isn’t just cognitive, it’s embodied. Our bodies carry stories that words alone can’t reach. I use breath, movement, and sound to help clients release grief, trauma, and the emotional burdens held in the body—especially those tied to racial and generational pain. This approach isn’t new—it’s ancestral. I grew up in post-colonial India practicing yoga with my grandfather, who helped raise me. That early connection to breath and stillness has stayed with me and is now woven into my therapeutic work.
I also lead workshops and trainings for other clinicians, most recently on Reproductive Justice and Its Ties to Racial Justice and Is Therapy Political? I believe therapists have a responsibility to understand systems of oppression and to use our roles to foster change—both in our sessions and in the world around us.
What I’m most proud of is the way I’ve built a practice that feels deeply aligned with who I am. I show up with authenticity, warmth, and radical compassion. I’ve had clients tell me that for the first time, they feel truly seen—not just for their pain, but for their wholeness. That’s what this work is about for me: helping people come home to themselves, reclaim their stories, and build relationships that feel nourishing, safe, and expansive.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If there’s one thing I want readers to know, it’s this: you are not broken, and you are not alone. Healing isn’t about “fixing” yourself—it’s about remembering who you are beneath the pain, the conditioning, and the survival strategies that kept you going.
We all carry stories in our bodies, in our relationships, in the ways we love and grieve and try again. You deserve to be in relationships—including the one with yourself—that feel safe, honest, and expansive. You deserve joy. You deserve rest. You deserve to take up space.
If you’re on a healing journey, whether you’re just starting or deep in the work, know that your story matters. Your body’s wisdom matters. And there are people—like me—doing this work because we believe in the power of transformation and in your capacity to thrive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shaktiheartandsoultherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaktiheartandsoultherapy?igsh=aTE2b2VwdzR3bXQz&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: Shakti Heart and Soul Therapy & Coaching
- Other: TikTok:@shainasinghlcsw
