To schedule: view the therapist photos/availability on the therapist by location page, as our therapists are all independent contractors. Click on the therapist photos to get to the bio page. The direct contact information for each therapist is listed on the bottom of their bio page. We request that new clients contact the therapists directly. You can also fill out the contact us page, and someone will get back to you with therapist options. Scheduling via the Client Portal is for existing clients only. We look forward to connecting with you!
Heather Hessel, Ph.D., LMFT (she/her) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist licensed in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. Heather joined the clinic in 2018 and currently provides online therapy for individual adults, couples and families. In addition to her clinical work, Heather is a faculty member in the Marriage and Family therapy program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where she teaches and supervises graduate students in training to become therapists.
Heather works with adults who may be feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected or in the midst of life transitions or identity shifts. Her clients often come to therapy navigating relationship challenges, anxiety, stress, family conflict, and questions about meaning, direction, and change. She also enjoys working with therapists and therapists-in-training.
Clients often experience Heather as thoughtful, direct, calming, and personable. She believes that ther therapeutic relationship is the foundation for meaningful change and approaches therapy and supervision in a way that is engaged, flexible, and fully human.
Heather's approach to therapy is integrative and tailored to the individual rather than driven by a single model. Her work is grounded in family systems thinking and informed by approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and mindfulness-based and somatic practices.
She is interested in how people make meaning of their experiences, the stories they carry about themselves and their relationships, and the ways different "parts" of us may hold different needs, emotions, or perspectives.
Heather believes that insight, emotional experience, and practical change all matter, and works collaboratively with clients to find an approach that fels useful and meaningful for them. She is also trained in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for trauma.
Heather graduated with a B.A. in Humanities from Loyola Marymount University, a M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the University of St. Thomas, and a Ph.D. from the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota.
Heather currently has a waiting list for new clients.
Heather's direct phone number: 612-810-3189