Heather Friend, LCSW, CSW - Therapist in Colorado

Emotion-focused work
Anxiety and stress
Grief and trauma

About Heather

Heather Friend is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with eight years of experience based in Colorado. She helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting strains, addictions, and a wide range of emotional and life challenges.

Heather uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy alongside approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, client-centered work, and cognitive behavioral techniques. Sessions move at a pace the client can manage and focus on naming emotions, noticing interaction patterns, and building practical skills for day-to-day life.

In sessions she follows a collaborative style. People talk through what feels most urgent and choose steps that feel doable. Conversations tend to emphasize awareness of feelings, clearer communication, and small behavior changes that reduce overwhelm.

Heather offers regular weekday, evening, and weekend appointment times. Live sessions run about 45 minutes. She also makes time for messages between sessions and typically replies within 24 hours.

Her practice supports people facing identity questions including LGBT concerns, body image and intimacy-related issues, and complex situations like adoption and foster care, chronic illness, caregiver stress, and codependency. Heather works with mood concerns such as depression and bipolar, attention-related issues like ADHD, and problems with sleep, eating, or anger.

To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session. Payment varies by location and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How Heather applies EFT and allied approaches online

Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on identifying and working with core emotions and interaction patterns. It can help when people struggle to name feelings or notice repeating cycles in relationships and behavior.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes noticing thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and clarifying what matters so small actions line up with personal values. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early bonding and attachment patterns affect current relationships and emotional responses.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Heather will collaborate with each person to decide which methods to draw on, based on their goals and what feels helpful in early sessions.

Practical benefits of online sessions include easier scheduling across weekdays, evenings, and weekends, and the ability to fit therapy into a busy life. Heathers live sessions are 45 minutes; verify the full list of session options when booking. Online work can make regular check-ins more manageable and support consistent momentum between appointments.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesTrauma and abuse GriefParenting issues

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderDepression Coping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBDSM, kink, and alternative sex cultureBlended family issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependency Commitment issues Communication problems Control issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)DissociationDivorce and separation Domestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHearing impairedHIV / AIDSHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelityIntellectual disabilityIsolation / loneliness Jealousy Life purpose Men's issues Midlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depression Post-traumatic stress Pregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSexualitySmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationTraumatic brain injuryTrichotillomaniaVisually impairedWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based Therapy Client-Centered Therapy Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential Therapy Jungian Therapy Mindfulness Therapy Motivational Interviewing Narrative Therapy Psychodynamic Therapy Solution-Focused Therapy Somatic Therapy Trauma-Focused Therapy Internal Family Systems

Experience

8+ years

Listed in

Colorado, Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of problems does she help with?

She supports people with stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting challenges, addictions, and related issues such as sleep, eating, and self-esteem.

What is her therapeutic style?

She works collaboratively and at the clients pace, using Emotionally-Focused Therapy alongside ACT, attachment-based, client-centered, and CBT techniques to help name emotions and shift patterns.

How much experience does she have?

Heather has eight years of clinical experience working with a range of emotional and relationship concerns.

What are her credentials and location?

She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with credentials LCSW and CSW and practices from Colorado.

Does she work in languages other than English or with international clients?

Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.

What session formats does she offer?

Live sessions are 45 minutes long. Confirm the current session options before booking to ensure they meet your needs.

How are fees handled?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I start working with her?

Begin by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling your first session.

Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.