HEATHER DESCHAINE, LPC

As a counselor, I have worked in a variety of mental health settings including outpatient in a military hospital, inpatient for severe psychiatric diagnoses, residential for at-risk youth and adolescents, intensive in-home counseling, and run a partial hospitalization program for substance abuse/chemical dependency. I currently hold a master’s in clinical mental health counseling, am a national board-certified counselor, and I am a certified substance abuse counselor and licensed professional counselor.

In my position as a substance abuse counselor, I have heard stories from my clients about their losses, their triumphs, the challenges they face and the barriers they have overcome. One of my favorite things about working with this population is seeing them break through their mental biases and negative thinking in order to truly live a life of recovery, and not just sobriety.

I utilize a humanistic and cognitive-behavioral approach to address clients' negative thinking patterns and help them learn the connections between their addictive thinking and behaviors. In therapy, I often use dialectical-behavior therapy as well to teach mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation. I believe that each person who comes to treatment brings a unique story and set of experiences with them. I work with my clients to identify their strengths and barriers in an effort to provide the best therapeutic experience. My goal is to bring out each individual’s potential through a combination of problem-solving, goal-setting, and emotional reflection and processing.

I am available as a clinical supervisor for those seeking certification for CSAC and CSAC-A and LPC residents. I also am an adjunct professor for Purdue University Global’s online Bachelor program in psychology where I instruct, primarily, psychopharmacology of drugs and alcohol and focus on addiction and substance abuse studies.

My areas of interest include LGBTQ+ counseling & advocacy, substance abuse counseling, trauma, and recidivism rates. I particularly enjoy the intersectionality of these interests, i.e., how the LGBTQ+ population is affected by substance abuse/use and whether recidivism rates are impacted by substance abuse/use.

When not working, I enjoy reading, spending time with family and friends, going to amusement parks, and traveling the world.