My Education and Experience:

 

Hello my name is Heidi and I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. I am also a certified Hypnotherapist and received my training from the Motivational Institute of Hypnotherapy in Cognitive Behavioral Hypnotherapy, Ericksonian Hypnosis, Energy Psychology and Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

 

I was born and raised in New Jersey and received my BA in psychology from Rutgers University. I have never been a huge fan of cold weather so after college I decided to make a move to try out sunny San Diego and I love it! I have now been here for over 9 years and am happy to call San Diego home.

 

When I first moved out here I worked at group homes for abused and neglected children (birth to 5 years old). I enjoyed my job but wanted to help people in more of a therapeutic role so I decided to apply to graduate school. I graduated from the University of San Diego in 2012 with my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a 4.0 GPA and also received the Program Award of Distinction for outstanding scholarship, service and commitment.

 

I have experience working with juveniles in Juvenile Detention Centers, youth burn survivors and Native American clients. For the past four years I have worked as the lead counselor at the Southern California American Indian Resource Center, Inc. (SCAIR) where I provide counseling to children, teens and adults for many different issues (e.g. trauma, depression, anxiety, grief, Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, PTSD, etc.)

 

The Associations I belong to: 

 

I have presented posters and lectured at various conferences: American Mental Health Counseling Association (AMHCA) Conference, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), Western Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (WACES) and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) Conference on topics related to working with American Indians, forensic issues and non-suicidal self-injury. I am a published co-author of the article Distinguishing Maladaptive Behavior from Cultural Practice: A Guide to Working with Native Americans in CAMFT’s journal The Therapist and author of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescent and Young Adult Populations: A Look at the Literature in Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Youth.

 

My Approach:

 

When working with clients I believe in a holistic approach to healing, focusing on mind, body and spirit and their positive integration. I incorporate many different techniques into my counseling practice in order to individualize treatment and help others to grow, heal, accomplish goals and reach their fullest potential.

 

Outside of the office:

 

On my down time I enjoy hanging out with my dog Maynard, watching football with my husband (if our teams are winning), enjoying the outdoors, practicing yoga and being crafty.