Michael Heaven

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 12 years of experience helping people navigate mental health challenges, including substance use concerns. I also hold a nursing degree, and integrating social work and nursing allows me to treat the whole person—mind, body, and environment. My clients are often the people you see when you look in the mirror: individuals, families, groups, and businesses in underserved communities facing very real socioeconomic barriers that can contribute to depression, anxiety, PTSD, anger, fear, and more. I’m honored to walk alongside clients as we work together to reduce these burdens, build healthier patterns, and restore people and communities to their inherent strength and greatness.

In my work, I start by really listening so I can understand what you want for yourself, your family, and your community. I draw on both social work and nursing to create a whole-person plan that honors your cultural identity and lived experience. I often work with people in underserved communities facing depression, anxiety, PTSD, anger, and fear that are tied to very real social and economic inequities. My approach is culturally responsive, evidence-based, and grounded in the Nia principle of Kwanzaa—working collectively to restore people and communities to their traditional greatness. I also center collective economic well-being as a vital part of healing and long-term mental and physical health.

In our first meeting, you can expect me to slow down and really listen. We’ll talk about what brings you in, how it’s affecting your life, and what you’re hoping will change. If you’ve been trying, with no success, to break unhealthy, impulsive habits and are feeling frustrated, we can start exploring that together. My goal is for you to feel understood—not judged—and to know that I see both you and the problem you’re facing. From there, we’ll begin thinking together about what support and next steps might be most helpful for you, whether through individual sessions or one of my workshops in the community.