- Guilt and shame
- ACT and CBT
- Attachment focus
About Heather
Heather Stample is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Illinois with four years of clinical experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, family difficulties, depression, and ADHD, and lists guilt and shame among her additional areas of focus.
Heather works in straightforward, practical ways. She listens and helps people take small steps when life feels overwhelming. Sessions emphasize building a steady, dependable working relationship and finding manageable next steps rather than big, sudden changes.
Her approach draws on methods like acceptance and commitment work, attachment-based ideas, client-centered conversation, cognitive behavioral techniques, and psychodynamic thinking. In a session she might name a pattern that keeps someone stuck, practice a different response, or help a person notice how past relationships affect current feelings.
Heather also addresses concerns such as abandonment, attachment issues, codependency, control and commitment struggles, feelings of emptiness, forgiveness, chronic illness or pain, and end-of-life matters. She frames these as problems people bring from their lives and relationships rather than labels to define them.
People who come to her for guilt or shame often want concrete ways to stop self-criticism and to begin making clearer choices. Heather aims to help clients notice what matters to them, test new behaviors, and reduce internal pressure one step at a time.
How Heather's therapeutic approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and practice small actions that align with those values. It focuses on reducing the struggle with difficult thoughts and moving toward intentional behavior. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and offers practical exercises to test and change unhelpful thinking patterns. Attachment-Based Therapy examines how early relationships influence current reactions and helps people notice patterns that repeat in close relationships.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Heather will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped before. That collaborative judgement guides whether more ACT, CBT, attachment-focused work, or a mix of techniques is used in sessions.
Session formats are not specified in the profile, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Many people find remote sessions helpful for keeping continuity of care when schedules are tight or when balancing work and family demands.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
4+ years
Listed in
Illinois
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, depression, and ADHD. Additional focuses include guilt and shame, abandonment, attachment problems, codependency, and chronic illness or pain.
How would she approach feelings of guilt or shame?
She uses approaches such as acceptance and commitment techniques and cognitive behavioral strategies to help people notice and shift self-critical thoughts. Work often includes identifying patterns and taking small, value-based steps.
What is her clinical background?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with four years of experience working with the concerns listed in her profile.
Where does she practice and what credential does she hold?
She practices in Illinois and holds the credential LCSW, listed as IL LCSW in her profile.
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
She does not accept international clients; sessions are offered in English and focused on people within her stated region.
What session formats are available?
Confirm current session options before booking, as the profile does not specify which formats are offered. Please check the platform for up-to-date format details.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session through the platform.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.