- Emotionally-Focused Therapy principles
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Mindfulness and DBT skills
About Heather
Heather Parenti is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 27 years of experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy concerns, eating and addiction issues, grief, trauma, parenting strain, sleep problems, and life transitions. Sessions are offered in English and Heather accepts international clients.
Heather sees how one difficulty often leads to others. She helps people name what feels off and build clearer ways of coping. Conversations are practical and focused on what can change in day-to-day life. She encourages clients to notice strengths they already have and to use those strengths to make different choices.
Heather trained at California State University Long Beach and has practiced in multiple settings since 2004, including private practice, medical and mental health services, education, and athletic coaching. Her background in athletics, yoga, meditation, writing, and the arts informs how she structures sessions and suggests practices between meetings.
Her approach draws on several methods so she can match the work to the person. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common starting point. She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques, Mindfulness practices, Narrative ideas, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy principles when those fit the client's goals.
Clients can expect clear steps to practice between sessions. Heather supports building routines for better sleep, appetite, mood, and stress management. She also addresses attachment and communication patterns that affect close relationships and self-worth.
Practical progress is the priority: noticing specific patterns, trying small changes, and reviewing what helps. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule an initial appointment.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online work
Emotionally-Focused Therapy focuses on identifying and working with emotions that drive relationship and attachment patterns. Online sessions can be useful for naming difficult feelings and trying new ways of relating in real time. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how earlier bonds shape present reactions and closeness; online conversations make it possible to reflect on those patterns and practice different responses. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete strategies to change them, which often includes homework exercises that fit into everyday routines.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Heather treats the choice as collaborative, discussing goals and preferences and adjusting methods as progress is reviewed. She will talk with clients about which ideas and techniques feel most useful and shift focus when something is not helping.
The therapist's biography does not name specific online session formats, so confirm the available options before booking. Online work can make it easier to schedule appointments, fit short check-ins into a busy day, avoid travel, and keep continuity across moves or time zones. Some methods, such as CBT skills practice or EFT-based emotion work, translate well to video or phone when clients can access a quiet, comfortable setting and follow suggested between-session exercises.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
27+ years
Listed in
California, Connecticut
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, eating and addiction concerns, trauma and grief, sleep problems, parenting strain, and life changes.
What is her therapeutic style?
Heather uses practical, skills-based work combined with exploration of emotions and attachment patterns. She blends CBT, DBT and Emotionally-Focused Therapy ideas to match each person's needs.
How much experience does she have?
She has 27 years of clinical experience and has worked in private practice, medical and mental health settings, schools, and athletic coaching since 2004.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with licensure in California and Connecticut, based in Connecticut.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are accepted.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography does not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How does payment work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule 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.