Heather McQuay

Heather McQuay is a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) practicing in Maryland. She brings more than 20 years in human services and over a decade as a licensed therapist to sessions. Heather focuses on everyday struggles like anxiety, stress, anger, depression, grief, and major life changes. She also helps people facing trauma from childhood or adulthood.

Her style is warm and person-centered. She listens first and helps clients set goals that feel useful and doable. Heather combines practical tools with conversations that surface strength and hope. She aims to make sessions feel collaborative rather than prescriptive.

Heather uses several common therapy approaches to suit different needs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people notice patterns of thinking and change unhelpful habits. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy supports choosing valued actions even when emotions are difficult. Dialectical Behavior Therapy offers concrete skills for managing intense feelings and improving relationships.

She has worked with people dealing with parenting strain, caregiving stress, relationship conflict, ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, and career pressures. Additional focus areas include abandonment, adoption and foster care issues, aging and geriatric concerns, chronic illness and pain, body image, codependency, and communication problems.

Heather works in Maryland and conducts sessions in English. She emphasizes a steady, respectful pace so people can build coping skills and make decisions that fit their lives. To begin, she asks prospective clients to complete a brief matching questionnaire and then schedule according to availability.

Approaches that guide online work

Heather frequently draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when working with people online. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy encourages noticing thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choosing actions that match personal values; it can help with anxiety, grief, and life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying thought and behavior patterns and trying small experiments to reduce distress and improve daily functioning.

Choosing the best approach is part of the process. Heather will collaborate with each person to find what fits their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts techniques over time so sessions respond to what is helping and what’s not, rather than assuming one method suits everyone.

Session formats are not listed in the original biography, so confirm current options before booking. Many people find online work helpful because it can fit more easily into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Online sessions also make it possible to practice skills in the settings where problems occur and then talk through how those attempts went at the next appointment.