Nicole Heath

I've spent ten years working with kids and teenagers in some of the most demanding mental health settings there are -intensive-in-home programs, wraparound services, residential care, and inpatient units. That background matters because it means I've safe with young people at their most overwhelmed, not just their most stable. I know what high-acuity adolescent distress actually looks like, and I know how to work through it thoughtfully.

In my practice, I focus specifically on children and teens navigating depression, anxiety, ADHD, and self harm. I work with both the young person and, when it's helpful, their caregivers - because the family dynamic is almost always the part of what's keeping a kid stuck or helping them move forward. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia and I accept insurance through Headway, so accessing care doesn't have to be it's own obstacle.

My approach is practice and collaborative-I'm not interested in talking at the kids, I'm interested in working with them. I primarily use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), not because they're the default, but because they give young people actual tools they an carry outside the session. CBT helps kids catch the though patterns that are feeding their anxiety or depression before those patterns take over. DBT gives teens (and tweens) concrete emotion regulation skills at a time in the development when those skills matter enormously.

I meet client at their pace. Some young people need to talk through what's hard' others need to build skills more directly. I adjust based on what the individual child or teenager needs in front of me, not a predetermined script.

The first session is about getting oriented-for your child or teen, for you as a caregiver, and for me. We'll talk about what's been happening, what's prompted the search for therapy right now, and what you're hoping will be different. I'll ask questions to understand the full picture, but won't be reading them from a clipboard. It should feel more like a conversation than an intake form.