About Heather
Heather McQuay is a licensed social worker and medical doctor with more than 20 years in human services and over a decade providing therapy. She practices in Maryland and works with adults facing stress, anxiety, mood concerns, grief, and trauma. Her approach is straightforward and respectful.
She focuses on meeting people where they are. Sessions begin with simple goals that fit each person’s life. Heather listens for strengths and practical next steps rather than relying on one fixed method.
Background and approach
Her work draws on somatic ideas alongside evidence-based talk therapies. That means she pays attention to both physical reactions and thoughts when addressing trauma, anxiety, or persistent mood problems. Clients learn skills to manage symptoms in daily life as well as how past events continue to affect the body and mind.
Heather uses techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Client-Centered Therapy. She combines these with motivational interviewing and solution-focused strategies to tailor sessions to each person’s needs. Many people come to her for help with parenting stress, relationship struggles, career transitions, chronic illness, or grief.
She also supports those coping with ADHD, compassion fatigue, and attachment concerns. Heather works at a steady pace and helps clients build practical skills between sessions. If someone wants to explore change, Heather offers a calm, collaborative setting to try new ways of coping.
She guides people through small, manageable steps toward clearer thinking and more reliable emotional balance.
How somatic and evidence-based approaches work online
Heather blends somatic-informed work with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Client-Centered techniques to address emotional and physical responses. Somatic-informed work pays attention to body sensations and movement alongside thoughts; it can help people notice how stress and trauma show up in the body. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying values and taking committed action, and it can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes an empathetic, nonjudgmental relationship where the person sets the pace and goals.Finding the right approach is part of therapy. Heather collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and comfort level. That process may combine somatic noticing, skill practice from ACT, or open supportive conversation depending on needs.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility. These options make it easier to fit work into busy days, try brief check-ins between sessions, and continue therapeutic work when travel or health concerns make in-person visits difficult. Licensed professionals can guide skills practice, grounding exercises, and values-based planning through these formats to support steady progress.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Anger management
Also works with
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Maryland
- Languages
- English