Welcome!

I'm glad you're here. 

I'm Heather, a psychotherapist local to Santa Barbara who works with individuals, couples and children experiencing difficult life transitions, trauma, relational struggles, and maladaptive ways of coping. 

If symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic, and coping through substance abuse have you feeling out of control, I'm here to help. Clients in therapeutic collaboration with me can expect to cultivate more self-awareness, and capacity for compassion. We’ll frame current stressors in the context of the larger systems they operate in, and evaluate your existing coping strategies to separate what's working for you from what's not. Together, we'll shine a light on patterns of thinking and behavior that keep you feeling stuck, and develop new skills to make change.

I use an insight-oriented approach rooted in psychodynamic theory, and incorporate mindfulness practices, CBT, art, and narrative therapy for management of distressing day-to-day symptoms. My couples approach is grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) which focuses on aligning partners around changing patterns in the relationship that do not serve it. I also think laughter is wonderful medicine, and encourage this in my work with clients where it's useful. 

I am not currently accepting new clients, but invite you to call or email me to be added to my waitlist. Finding a therapist who is the right fit for you is key, and I'd be honored to help you in that process. Please feel free to reach out to me.

To me, taking the first steps to get started with therapy (or returning) can be the hardest part. Congratulations on this powerful act of self-caring. I look forward to connecting with you soon.