Heather Murphy

Heather Murphy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in New Hampshire with 13 years of experience. She works with adults on issues like stress, anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem, career uncertainty, family challenges, trauma and parenting strain. Heather also supports people dealing with intimate relationship concerns and eating or body-image struggles.

She trained with a Master of Social Work and has worked in a range of mental health settings since completing her degree. Her approach is interactive and personal. Sessions often include practical skills, straightforward talk, and creative ways to try new behaviors between meetings.

Heather blends evidence-informed methods with a client-centered perspective. That means she focuses on what matters to each person and uses tools from acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and mindfulness practices. She also uses motivational interviewing to help with change and coaching goals.

In sessions she aims to help people notice patterns, make small changes, and build coping tools that fit daily life. She talks through emotions, goals, and practical steps rather than only offering abstract advice. Parents can expect concrete strategies for parenting stress and blended family concerns.

Heather describes her work as collaborative. She helps clients identify values, manage difficult feelings, and set realistic actions for work and relationships. If someone is wondering what comes next, she focuses on clarifying options and practicing new ways of responding.

Background and approach: Her earlier training included art therapy at the undergraduate level, which informs occasional creative exercises and different ways of expressing difficult material. Over more than a decade in clinical settings she has worked with a broad range of life changes, caregiver stress, first responder issues, fertility and cancer-related concerns, and grief. She asks questions, listens, and helps plan concrete next steps.

Approaches used online and how they help

Heather commonly draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. ACT focuses on clarifying what matters most and taking actions that align with those values while learning to notice difficult thoughts without getting stuck. CBT looks at unhelpful thought patterns and uses specific exercises to test and change behaviors that keep problems going.

She also uses Client-Centered Therapy ideas, which prioritize the client's perspective and aim to create a respectful, nonjudgmental working relationship. Together, these approaches help with stress, anxiety, grief, career doubts and relationship concerns by combining practical skills, values-based choices and reflective conversation.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Heather will talk with each person about goals, preferences and what methods feel most useful. She treats the choice of tools as a shared decision and adjusts methods as needs and goals evolve.

If you plan to work online, confirm the current session formats before booking since options are not specified here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit meetings into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, reduce travel time, and let people try exercises between sessions in their everyday environment. Licensed professionals can use these formats to help clients practice new skills and maintain momentum between meetings.