Hello, I'm Heather!

You don’t have to have it all together here. Maybe you learned early on to be the one who was always "fine." The one who got good grades, stayed busy, helped out, and didn’t need much. Maybe someone else in your family needed more attention, so you became really good at handling things on your own. You may be great at talking about what happened without actually letting yourself feel it. So you minimize, push through, and tell yourself other people had it worse. You may even catch yourself trying to be a “good therapy client.” I notice those things. And you don’t have to do any of them here. My job is to create a space where you can stop performing, stop taking care of everyone else for a minute, and get curious about what you actually need. I’ve spent nearly 20 years sitting with people through the hard stuff. I’ve worked with people navigating severe anxiety, trauma, family conflict, grief, crisis, suicidal thoughts, and major life transitions. Through it all, I kept noticing the same thing: people carrying the most are also the best at making it look like they’re totally fine. They’re thoughtful, responsible, successful, and usually the person everyone else depends on. Because they can keep going, it can be easy for everyone—including them—to miss how exhausted they’ve become. I want to understand what taught you to function this way. Maybe being helpful, successful, easy, or emotionally self-sufficient made life feel safer growing up. Maybe there wasn’t much room for your needs because someone else needed more. Maybe grades, varsity sports, or career achievement became the place where you felt confident, valued, or in control. These patterns usually developed for a reason. Instead of asking, “What is wrong with me?” I want to help you ask, “What did I learn—and do I still need to live this way?” Therapy with me is collaborative. I’m engaged. I ask questions. I notice patterns. I’ll help you connect what’s happening now with experiences you may not realize are still influencing you. I’ll challenge you. We’ll slow down. I’ll help you put words to something you’ve felt for years. And yes, sometimes we’ll laugh. You don’t have to become less ambitious. Your drive, sensitivity, independence, and ability to care deeply about others are some of your greatest strengths. The goal isn’t to get rid of those parts of you. It’s to help you stop paying such a high price for them. Imagine working hard without believing your worth depends on the outcome. Caring about people without feeling responsible for everyone’s emotions. Making a mistake without replaying it for days. Resting without guilt. That’s the kind of change we can work toward. You don’t have to protect me from your story. You don’t have to wonder if what you’re bringing into the room is too much. You don’t need the right words or a perfectly organized story. You can bring all of your parts here—the successful part, the anxious part, the angry part, the exhausted part, the part that wants everyone to be okay. We’ll figure it out together. You’ve spent a long time learning how to be the one no one had to worry about. Now you deserve a place where someone notices you, too.