Meet Your Guide, Heather.
I’m grateful that you might trust me to guide you…
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I teach about managing high anxiety because I live with high anxiety.
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I help people thrive with powerful emotions because I'm a big feeler too.
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I can’t wait to share the tools that can offer you a life with less anxiety and emotional overwhelm!
My story and my qualifications to help you
I have lived with anxiety and emotional sensitivity since at least age 7...at least that's the age of the most obvious situation I can recall.
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Growing up, I found my solace and comfort in fiction books and music, creating an inner world where I felt safer; more in control.
I didn't really consider whether others felt differently than me.
But differences became apparent in middle & high school when people around me seemed to have a basic level of comfort in their own skin.
But I had to coach myself through the terror of making a simple phone call.
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So I clenched my way through life, focusing on academic & work success (controllable) until I first went to therapy in my mid-20s.
That's when I learned how my anxiety and emotional sensitivity were steering me in less-than-desirable ways...in my daily life and in my relationships.
Although I had planned to be a teacher, I shifted my path to pursue becoming a therapist.
I wanted to help other people learn what I had about emotions & relationships and ways to cope and feel differently for a fuller and more comfortable life.
In 2010, I attended my first 2-day training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
I saw the immense benefit of the specific & actionable skills that DBT offers for managing emotions and relationships.
I immediately began teaching DBT skills to therapy clients… and using them personally! I wanted to learn even more and attended additional training on using DBT with couples, for eating disorders, and personality disorders.
In 2015, I completed the 78-hour Intensive Training in DBT from the treatment founder's Behavioral Tech Institute.
I started and led a DBT teaching team in Raleigh, NC and Durham, NC at a community mental health practice. We taught up to 5 DBT skills classes in person each week for several years until I moved on to start my own private practice.
I've been teaching DBT skills online to individual clients since 2017. And I’m thrilled to now be making the DBT skills accessible online to anyone outside of a therapy setting through this course.
With a Master of Education degree and a Master of Science in Counseling, I’ve spent over 20 years and 20,000 hours helping people understand and navigate the incredible difficulties of life and strong emotions.
I’m grateful that you might trust me to lead you on the path to a life with less anxiety, less emotional intensity, more enjoyment and more ease!
Support from colleagues
She is the real deal, a true guru in DBT…
“It has been a pleasure learning from Heather along my own healing journey. Her presence alone has been very comforting to my soul. She operates from a heart centered place…authentic, non-judgmental, thoughtful, and with open curiosity on how to help others beyond the call of duty.
Her energy, creativity, and expertise have helped many, including myself cultivate a radical sense of internal balance, with such gentleness.
She is the real deal, a true guru in DBT, and that is a skill in itself to master! It has been an honor, and privilege working with her.”
– Aurora D., LCSW, Intensively Trained DBT Clinician
I’m sure you’ll find her course to be engaging!
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Heather for several years, and I consider her to be highly knowledgeable when it comes to treating anxiety and using DBT.
Heather has a wide assortment of practical strategies that are not only easy to use, but work really well.
Heather is also very personable and relatable, so I’m sure you’ll find her course to be engaging!”
– Carlos B, LCMHC
Heather provides an individual feel to the group setting…
“Packed with years of experience, Heather is truly a person you’d be lucky to learn DBT skills from.
Heather combines the didactic with a strong foundation and then clever ways to place it into memory that allow group members to really soar in their learning.
Heather uniquely provides an individual feel into the group setting, something that I find truly remarkable!”
– Anna E, LCSW, Intensively Trained DBT Clinician
Heather’s passion for helping others is natural and authentic.
“Heather uses a collaborative approach with her students that is respectful, direct, interactive, and down to earth. Heather’s passion for helping others is natural and authentic.
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She is very intentional and thoughtful, with a healthy balance of a challenging approach to help you reveal the best version of yourself.
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Heather is trustworthy and reliable. I had the honor of co-facilitating a DBT class with her for a few years. She will meet you where you are emotionally, and she teaches the skills at a pace that is easily digestible and understandable.
– Shandra J. Ross, LCMHC, LCAS, Intensively Trained DBT Clinician