Dr. Heather Brister, PhD,

Hi! I am Dr. Heather Brister- a licensed clinical psychologist with over 12 years of clinical experience. I earned my Ph.D in Clinical Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin in 2012, completed my clinical internship at the Durham VA Medical Center, and completed my postdoctoral clinical training at the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System in Tucson, Arizona. I have always been kind of a psychology nerd since I was a kid and have specialized training and considerable experience in evidence-based therapies (EBPs). My training and professional experience is grounded in the principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), which focuses on learning to recognize and change patterns of thinking and action that keep people stuck. I have extensive experience working with people who have experienced trauma and struggles with overwhelming emotions. This guided my training and practice towards newer, more emotionally-focused EBPs including Dialectical Behavioral therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This helps me to guide people towards meaningful changes in their lives and relationships by learning to embrace their emotions, whole selves, and true values. I also offer brief treatment to help you set goals and coaching to help you build and maintain motivation for making lasting changes. **So what does all that mumbo jumbo mean? ** It means that all therapies and all therapists are not alike. EBPs are more than just talking- they have been proven to help people make long-lasting changes in their lives. Therapy works when you put in the work and a trained professional works with you to identify what you need to change and how to accomplish those changes. **So how can I help?** I am well trained and love helping people overcome past traumas- be it physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to the pain of not fitting in with your family or friend groups. I strongly believe in the inherent personal resiliency and transformative potential of ALL people. I take a behavioral approach which helps people to recognize the impact of their pasts on their present ways of seeing, feeling, and experiencing the world while teaching new tools and skills for building a life of meaning and purpose. I am also warm, funny, open, and look forward to meeting with you to see if I can help you in your transformative journey.