About

 There's a moment a lot of my clients describe, where they realize that thinking harder about the problem isn't working anymore. The anxiety is in their body. The fear is making decisions for them. And the life they're living no longer feels like theirs.

That's usually when they find me.

I'm Heather Hendrickson, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW #136334) with a Master's in Social Work from UMass Global. I specialize in working with women navigating significant life transitions — divorce, career upheaval, perimenopause, the disorienting shift of midlife, whose anxiety has become something they can no longer manage alone.

My approach is relational first. Research tells us that the therapeutic relationship itself is one of the most powerful drivers of change and that's my favorite part. I show up with genuine warmth, humor when it fits, and a commitment to meeting you exactly where you are.

Clinically, I draw from EMDR and polyvagal theory, CBT, and ACT, not as a menu of interventions, but as tools I reach for based on what your nervous system actually needs. The goal isn't symptom management. It's building a felt sense of safety that doesn't depend on your circumstances being perfect.

I started my clinical work in 2021 across a range of settings — individual and group work with adults and teens, and macro-level work within education systems including the Orange County Department of Education and Mariposa County School District. What I found across all of it is that people don't change because they're pushed. They change when they finally feel safe enough to.

I'd be honored to be part of that for you.