Heather Whitefield, LMHC

Heather received her Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling at Nova Southeastern University. Heather has extensive background and experience working with individuals of all ages, adults, children, adolescents providing individual, family and group therapy in outpatient, inpatient, in-home settings as well as negotiating conflict and stabilizing crisis onsite. Heather has past experience collaborating services with DCF, DUI/Drug/Family Courts, Targeted Case Management and Law Enforcement as Family Intervention Clinician, working to reunify families struggling with substance abuse, treating trauma and negative family dynamics including guiding parents to utilize appropriate parenting strategies. Additionally, she has extensive experience and training in trauma, DV, abuse, crisis stabilization and conflict management, working as a Licensed Trauma Clinician at BayCare Behavioral Health, as a First Responder/Licensed Crisis Intervention Clinician with the Pasco Mobile Response Team BayCare, as a Suicide Line Counselor and a Trauma/Sexual Abuse First Responder on the S.A.R.T. Team at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. Heather supervised a Crisis and Threat Team – responding to District Threat Assessments for students presenting with life threatening and unsafe behaviors to self and others in Pinellas County Schools. Heather completed contract work with the United Way of Pasco, providing therapeutic trauma support for their Human Trafficking Survivors Program. Heather continues to work with HCA in inpatient psychiatric units working on Unit IDT teams to provide appropriate clinical support with diagnosis/treatment, identifying levels of care, assigning appropriate risk levels and monitoring safety as well as leading psychoeducational groups. Currently Heather provides individual, family, and group therapy, as well as presenting customized psychoeducational and wellness workshops/seminars for small companies and large corporate settings. Heather’s areas of expertise include anxiety, depression, grief, trauma/abuse-PTSD, LGBTQ, anger management, substance abuse, ADHD, self-esteem building, coping with bullying, gifted children, assisting with positive social interaction strategies, crisis and conflict management, suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, self-harm, family conflict management, group therapy and clinical supervision. Heather is passionate about speaking on mental health issues, especially trauma and crisis, to increase public awareness, as well as to inspire and invoke change.