Heather Lockey, LCSW

Heather Lockey is a licensed clinical social worker in North Carolina with eight years of practice experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and addiction. Heather also supports people facing family conflict, trauma and abuse, sleep problems, parenting strain, relationship issues, and the effects of ADHD.

Her approach starts from the belief that each person knows their own story. She works collaboratively and listens first, then helps people build on strengths to meet real-life goals. Heather blends practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy with acceptance-based skills and mindfulness exercises to reduce distress and improve daily functioning.

Sessions may also draw on dialectical behavior therapy strategies and motivational interviewing to address motivation, coping, and emotional regulation. Heather describes her work as flexible and goal-oriented, tailoring techniques to what each person finds useful. She is open to working with teens and with members of the LGBTQA+ community.

Over her career she has supported people struggling with complicated family history, addiction, grief, caregiver stress, and changes tied to aging and geriatric issues. Heather aims to make the process clear and approachable so people can take small steps that add up to meaningful change.

If someone is ready to start, she recommends using the site Start Therapy button to complete a short questionnaire and schedule a session based on availability.

How Heather’s approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts while committing to actions that align with their values; it can help with anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns to reduce symptoms like anxiety and poor sleep. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers practical skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication when emotions run high.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Heather uses a collaborative process to decide which techniques fit a person's goals and preferences. She listens to what matters most, then combines methods like ACT, CBT, or DBT to build a plan together.

Confirm the exact session formats available before booking, as the listing does not specify them. Online therapy can make it easier to fit regular sessions into a busy life by reducing travel time, allowing shorter check-ins when needed, and letting someone participate from a quieter setting. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises, homework, and mindfulness practices to work well in remote sessions so progress continues between meetings.