Heather McMillen, LPC, PMH-C

Practice Philosophy:

Heather McMillen provides care for women and parents who are navigating emotionally complex times, especially during pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, infertility, traumatic birth experiences, and hormonal changes. She also supports parents struggling with the challenges of raising children, including those with special needs. With sensitivity and compassion, Heather provides a supportive space for clients to process their feelings of grief, loneliness, and disappointment, while guiding them to move forward with greater clarity, understanding and hope. Heather helps clients to “find the spark of joy and grow it,” while also acknowledging pain in a way that feels safe and manageable rather than all-consuming. In addition, Heather works more broadly with anxiety, depression, relationship stress, and life transitions, and treats women who are dealing with the strong emotions that often accompany perimenopause and menopause.

Heather also offers Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment for both perinatal and general clients.  Through this process, clients gain an understanding of how past experiences influence our adult selves, and learn to revise the stories they have been telling themselves from an adult perspective. By using the EMDR framework, clients can begin to rewrite their internal narrative, creating lasting change in how they feel, respond, and relate to others in their lives. By building strong, trusting relationships, Heather helps clients make meaningful progress toward living the life they want.

Areas of Expertise:

Heather specializes in maternal and women’s mental health, with a foundation in birth trauma and expanded expertise across pregnancy, postpartum depression, infertility, and pregnancy and infant loss. Many clients initially seek her out for perinatal concerns, including PMADS (Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders), and choose to continue working with her to deepen insight and create sustainable change. She integrates evidence-based approaches into treatment including EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Solution-Focused Therapy. She is known for effectively using EMDR with both perinatal and general clients, helping them understand how past experiences shape present reactions and supporting them in developing more adaptive ways of thinking and responding.

Experience and Training:

Heather is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Certification in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C), reflecting extensive training in pregnancy, postpartum, and reproductive mental health. She is also Certified in EMDR therapy through EMDRIA (EMDR International Association) and brings years of experience using this approach to address issues of attachment patterns, trauma, and internal narratives. Heather earned her undergraduate degree in psychology and her graduate degree in counseling from George Mason University. Her advanced training includes birth trauma, EMDR for the perinatal population, pregnancy and infant loss, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. She has also worked with survivors of domestic and sexual violence in both individual and group settings. She pursues ongoing professional development in women’s mental health and EMDR, staying up-to-date on the latest evidence-based treatments.

Heather is licensed in multiple states and provides convenient virtual therapy to residents of Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, South Carolina, and Utah.