Heather Stevens

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
― Viktor E. Frankl

As a Counselor, I want to help my clients find this power in responding to the struggles or concerns that have brought them to counseling. My priority is providing a warm, accepting, and safe space for my clients. I recognize the value and importance of the time my clients spend in counseling and want to be sure they feel heard and that their time with me is well spent.

My career prior to counseling has been focused on the themes of education and health. I spent years working on federal initiatives related to student lending and health information exchange. I followed up this experience spending time supporting a laboratory and then working in a preschool during the pandemic. And throughout, I have volunteered my time and resources working with children to strengthen their confidence, develop their social skills, set and achieve their personal goals, and identify strategies to address stressors in their daily environment.

I follow an eclectic approach to helping, with my focus being person-centered while also employing cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, narrative, and existential techniques as appropriate. When it makes sense, I love to use art or play when working with children and the challenges they are experiencing related to big emotions, fears, anxiety, attachment, or social skills. With adolescents, my goal is to create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing their struggles with anxiety, depression, self-esteem, body image, social issues, identity, sexual orientation, past trauma, or other problems they are facing at home or in school. I may use art, music, or other techniques to create this safe environment. The world today is incredibly complex, and I want to help clients, especially the youngest and most vulnerable, learn how to navigate those complexities while still preserving their childhood and the critical self-development that occurs during adolescence.

Early adulthood is often marked by a number of critical decisions and life transitions. Here, I support my clients as they navigate these changes, working through related thoughts, emotions, relationships, and other considerations to reduce the risk of clients getting “stuck”.

With my adult clients, I look to provide support as they adapt to the role of parent or work through other life transitions whether related to relationships, loss or grief, past trauma, or career.

I understand the responsibility I have as a counselor in building a strong therapeutic alliance with my client. They have made an important decision to seek counseling, and my goal is to gain their trust so that we may effectively walk together on this therapeutic journey.

MORE ABOUT ME:

I am a long-time runner, having completed 21 marathons and numerous other road and trail races. Once, while running in DC, I ended up as an extra on the television show “The District”.

I enjoy supporting my community whenever possible, currently serving as a preschool board chair, Girl Scout leader, and track coach for elementary and middle school children.

Other interests include art, photography, and travel.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING:

• University of Virginia graduate with a B.A. in Economics, Minor in English
• Wake Forest University student in the Master of Arts in Counseling program, Clinical Mental Health Counseling track
• Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International (CSI) – Member since August 2024
• American Counseling Association (ACA) – Member since February 2023
• Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling (ACAC) – Member since February 2023

SUPERVISED BY:

George Coyne, LCSW

CREDENTIALS:

Graduate Intern

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