Heather Kamper, LCSW

I am an experienced clinical social worker who enjoys working with clients who are experiencing grief, life transitions, and seasons of life that require finding agency and personal power.

What was your path to becoming a mental health provider?
I told my dad I wanted to be a therapist when I was six. As a child and into adulthood, I navigated some complex medical conditions and these experiences have only reinforced my passion to join with people who are seeking relief and light and challenge the power that isolation can so often leverage. After I finished my MSW, I have been a volunteer facilitator for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a therapist at both the outpatient and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) level of care and worked as an educator for a rape crisis and anti-violence organization in two states. In my twenty years of practice, working with people in recovery from drugs/alcohol along with my work with women who have chronic illness and disability have moored me.

What should someone know about working with you?
I am excited to have current availability in my small private practice that provides an opportunity for me to use more integrated approaches like mindfulness, Gestalt, individualized creative expression and visualization. For the first couple of sessions, we explore the motivations of your seeking treatment at this time, your strengths and some questions that will help us do some level-setting as to your life experiences before starting therapy. I am particularly passionate about working with people who may have a new medical diagnosis, those who are grieving or who have experienced a recent loss, people experiencing increasing anxiety and folks wanting to explore the universal experiences of end-of-life reflections and questioning.

How do you continue learning and building new skills?
In addition to my full-time work, I provide clinical supervision for individuals in Tennessee who are pursuing their clinical social work license. I find that this work mandates that I stay on top of ethical considerations and new approaches that help to keep my practice on its growing edge. Each year, I try to seek out specific continuing education in grief-focused psychotherapy in addition to my frequent participation in further training at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland (OH). My training at GIC has provided a strong foundation for present-focused skills that helps me balance the vital work of engaging clients in session actively while recognizing the importance of witnessing, sitting-with and reframing. Looking forward!