Heather Arslanian, LPC

I believe that people make sense when we understand their story. Sometimes the behaviors, emotions, or relationship patterns that are causing us difficulty today began as ways of coping with experiences we had earlier in life. Therapy can be a place to slow down, understand those patterns, and begin creating something different.

I especially enjoy working with children, adolescents, and adults who feel misunderstood, overwhelmed, or stuck. I have a particular passion for working with children and teens who communicate through their behavior or play, as well as clients navigating anxiety, trauma, attachment wounds, family changes, divorce, grief, identity, self-esteem, and relationship difficulties. I also enjoy working with parents who want to better understand their child and strengthen their relationship with them.

With children, I use play-based therapy to help create a safe space where they can express experiences and emotions that may be difficult to put into words. With adolescents and adults, I incorporate person-centered, trauma-informed, attachment-based, and experiential approaches, including AEDP. My goal is not simply to help you manage symptoms, but to help you understand yourself with greater compassion and develop healthier ways of relating to yourself and others.

My style is warm, genuine, relational, and sometimes playful. I believe therapy should feel like a place where you can be your authentic self without having to say the “right” things or have everything figured out. I will listen without judgment, validate your experience, and gently challenge you when it may help you grow. I believe the therapeutic relationship itself can be an important part of healing.

One of the things I value most about this work is helping clients move from asking, “What is wrong with me?” to asking, “What happened to me, and why does this make sense?” You are not defined by your symptoms, your past, or your most difficult moments. Together, we can work toward understanding your story, building self-compassion, developing healthier boundaries and relationships, and creating meaningful change.

Whether you are a parent trying to understand your child, a teenager trying to figure out who you are, or an adult recognizing patterns you are ready to change, you do not have to have everything figured out before you begin. You just have to be willing to start.