Heather Garcia
Heather has been a Licensed Counselor for almost twenty years and brings a warm, compassionate, and integrative approach to her work with clients. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from the University of West Florida in 1995 and her Master’s degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma in 2001. She has also completed two graduate certificates from the University of Arkansas—one in Rehabilitation Counseling in 2008 and another in Conflict Mediation in 2012.
Heather is passionate about helping individuals develop greater self-understanding, strengthen self-esteem, reduce stress, and create a healthier sense of balance in both their personal and professional lives. She works collaboratively with clients who are navigating negative self-talk, mood instability, irrational or unhelpful beliefs, difficult life transitions, relationship challenges, and questions surrounding identity and personal growth.
Having been raised in a military family and later experiencing military life as a military spouse, Heather personally understands the unique challenges and opportunities that come with a life of service. She understands that military life can involve frequent moves, changes in community, shifting roles and responsibilities, periods of separation, and the challenge of creating stability while circumstances continually change. These experiences have given Heather a particular appreciation for the importance of adaptability, resilience, connection, and maintaining a strong sense of self through life's transitions.
Heather recognizes that no two people enter counseling with the same experiences, goals, or needs. She therefore takes an individualized, client-centered approach, drawing from a variety of therapeutic strategies. Her areas of experience include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy strategies, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and approaches that promote greater insight and self-awareness. Her goal is to help clients understand themselves more deeply, identify patterns that may be holding them back, and develop practical tools for creating meaningful and lasting change.
Outside of counseling, Heather enjoys hiking, cycling, and traveling with her family. Her adventures have included thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, completing the Camino de Santiago beginning in the Pyrenees Mountains of France, spanning Spain's countryside, and ending at the Atlantic Ocean. She has also cycled the Michigan Off-Road Expedition and Missouri's Katy Trail. Additionally, Heather enjoys open-water diving, white water rafting and, from time to time, hang-gliding the mountains of Georgia. These experiences reflect her love of exploration, challenge, and lifelong learning—qualities she brings to both her personal life and her work with clients.
LPCC-CCMH 0222251
GCDFI-10579
CWDP-5069