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Sasha Thompson

About Sasha

Meaningful change begins with feeling heard

I’m Sasha Thompson, a PACFA Registered Counsellor with nearly 30 years’ experience across body and mind health, including counselling, psychotherapy, naturopathy and nutrition.

Today I support adults who are ready to understand themselves more deeply, create healthier, more fulfilling relationships and care for their physical health in a way that supports emotional connection — starting with the self.

Sasha Thompson smiling outdoors in a soft grey jumper

My values

Life is available only in the present moment. — Thich Nhat Hanh

My work is grounded in compassion, curiosity, honesty, safety and respect.

I value the courage it takes to speak openly about the private, tender and often hidden parts of life — especially when someone has spent years feeling unseen, disconnected or uncertain where to begin.

I believe meaningful change begins when people feel genuinely heard and understood. From that foundation, they can reconnect with their own wisdom, strengthen their capacity for healthier relationships and begin living with greater presence, connection and aliveness.

How I work — experiences that led me here

My work integrates counselling, psychotherapy, nervous system awareness, attachment-informed practice, naturopathy, functional medicine and practical mentoring through The Five Shift Framework™.

Alongside my professional training, my own life experiences have helped me understand how early relationships, attachment patterns, nervous system responses and emotional pain can shape how we love, protect ourselves, communicate and relate to others.

Over the years I recognised that lasting change rarely came from addressing just one part of a person’s experience. It came from understanding the whole person — physical, mental and emotional. This insight ultimately led me to develop The Five Shift Framework™ — a compassionate, evidence-informed framework that integrates the approaches I’ve found to create the most meaningful and lasting change.

Why I created The Five Shift Framework™

After working with hundreds of people over nearly thirty years, I began noticing recurring patterns that extended beyond any one discipline.

The Five Shift Framework™ grew from a desire to bring together the most effective elements of psychology, nervous system science, functional health and lived experience into one clear, compassionate pathway for lasting change.

It is the evidence-informed mentoring framework I developed to help people understand themselves more deeply, strengthen their relationships and create meaningful, lasting change.

Read about the framework

My philosophy

The mind, body, nervous system and relationships cannot be understood in isolation. Relationship struggles, anxiety, chronic stress, fatigue, digestive concerns, addictive tendencies or feeling disconnected from yourself and others are often not problems to be judged, but invitations to understand what your experiences have been asking of you.

When we care for the body, regulate the nervous system and bring compassionate awareness to old patterns, we create the conditions for greater emotional steadiness and healthier relationships and a more connected, fulfilling life.

My intention, both personally and professionally, is to continue living with mental clarity, physical vitality and spiritual presence well into eldership. I believe the greatest gift we can offer ourselves is our own ongoing commitment to growth, authenticity and wholehearted living. With this, we have the capacity to support others.

Qualifications and professional memberships

Qualifications

  • Specialist Training in Counselling & Psychotherapy, Metavision
  • Bachelor of Health Science, Complementary Medicine, Charles Sturt University
  • Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy, Nature Care College
  • Diploma of Nutrition, Nature Care College
  • Certificate in Functional Medicine, Functional Medicine University
  • Certificate IV in Mental Health, TAFE
  • Diploma of Remedial Massage, Nature Care College

Memberships

  • PACFA (Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia) — Registered Counsellor #30508
  • ATMS (Australian Traditional Medicine Society) — Naturopath #11559
PACFA logoATMS Accredited Practitioner 2026–2027

Approaches that inform my work

  • Process Oriented Psychology
  • Somatic psychotherapy
  • Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Brainspotting
  • Person-centred therapy
  • Solution-focused therapy

Book an appointment

Begin with a conversation

You don't need to have everything figured out before reaching out. A complimentary, obligation-free 15-minute call is a chance to share what's on your mind and see whether we're the right fit.

  • Obligation-free, with no commitment to a program
  • Online, anywhere in Australia
  • Choose a time that suits you
Prefer to send a message? Contact Sasha

Free · 15 minutes

Introductory call

Talk through what’s bringing you here, ask questions about the programs and see whether we’re the right fit.

Book a free 15-minute call

Online · 60 minutes

Individual session

A personalised one-to-one session from anywhere in Australia to explore a challenge and find a way forward.

Book a 60-minute session