The Child Within:
Child and Adult Therapy Services, LLC
A private counseling practice dedicated to providing professional, compassionate mental health services for both children and adults
Heather Patterson, LPCC, RPT
Hi, and thank you for visiting! I am a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) and registered play therapist (RPT). My main clinical passion lies in helping young children, primarily newborns to age nine, better understand their own emotions so that they can cope with them adaptively. As an RPT, I specialize in utilizing the natural language of children, play, to assist in the therapeutic process, and I believe therapy can be fun while still uncovering uncomfortable truths that people often wish to avoid. I work hard to include parents in their child's therapy as much as possible.
I also enjoy working with adults, particularly those who have experienced stress or trauma during their childhood. I recognize that oftentimes these painful experiences block people from accessing their authentic selves, which leads to a feeling of being “stuck.” With this perspective as my guide, I help my clients work through their emotional defenses, avoid reenacting harmful patterns of interaction, and become "unstuck".
I strive to create a space that is, first and foremost, nonjudgmental. I believe that we are all doing the best we can at any given moment, and with an open mind we can grow into healthier, more fulfilled versions of ourselves. I hope to help my clients feel safe, heard, and validated for who they are, while gently pushing them to grow past their comfort zone. Rather than relying on a predefined set of techniques I aim to create a healing relationship that can serve as a model for life outside of the therapy office.
In terms of disorders that I treat, I view myself as a generalist who is open to working across diagnostic categories; if a client presents with an issue that I feel is outside of my scope of practice I will either refer out or work to include appropriate specialists in the treatment team. The majority of my clinical background to date has been in working with individuals suffering from anxiety, depression, anger, PTSD, and relationship issues. I often combine individual and family therapy in accordance with a client's needs.
