Heather Lockey, LCSW

Heather Lockey is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in North Carolina. She draws on eight years of clinical experience to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and life transitions. Heather welcomes clients who identify as LGBTQA+ and is open to teens.

Her approach centers on practical tools that people can use between sessions. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) alongside acceptance-focused methods and mindfulness to break unhelpful thinking patterns and build healthier habits. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills are introduced when people need help with emotion regulation and distress tolerance.

Heather emphasizes each person's strengths and lived experience. She treats the person first and tailors strategies to what fits their life and goals. Conversations focus on clear, repeatable steps rather than abstract ideas.

She has experience helping with family issues, relationship struggles, parenting challenges, attachment concerns, and substance-related problems. Trauma and abuse, sleep problems, anger, and identity questions are also areas she addresses. Heather can support people processing adoption and foster care histories, caregiver stress, and blended family dynamics.

Sessions combine structured skill work with empathetic listening. Heather encourages small experiments, tracking progress, and adjusting plans as needed. Her style is collaborative and straightforward, aimed at making therapy useful in day-to-day life.

CBT, ACT, and Mindfulness for Online Care

Heather draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and habits. CBT is practical and problem-focused, so it often helps with anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and everyday stress. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy encourages people to clarify values and take committed action even when difficult feelings appear. ACT pairs well with mindfulness work to reduce the impact of painful thoughts and support meaningful change.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Heather will discuss goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't worked before to select techniques together. She adapts the mix of CBT, ACT, DBT skills, and client-centered listening to fit each person's needs and pace.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video sessions allow fuller conversation and skill demonstrations, phone sessions can work well when bandwidth is limited, and text or chat can be used for brief check-ins or when someone prefers shorter written exchanges. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to continue work between meetings.