Heidi Arntzen, AASW

Heidi Arntzen is an AASW social worker who offers calm, down-to-earth counselling for adults facing stress, anxiety, addiction and grief. She creates a space for people to talk openly, be heard, and start making changes at a pace that feels manageable. Her manner is warm and straightforward, with an emphasis on practical steps as well as emotional support.

Heidi works with adults who have experienced trauma, overwhelm or heavy caring roles. She also supports people navigating alcohol and other drug concerns, life transitions, and the long tail of grief and loss. Many clients come because they have been the one others rely on and need somewhere to focus on their own needs for a while.

Her background is in social work and she has six years of experience across mental health and AOD settings. That experience shapes how she balances insight with everyday tools. Heidi draws on techniques that help people better understand themselves, build coping skills, and reduce harm when substance use is involved.

Therapy with Heidi tends to be collaborative rather than prescriptive. She uses person-centred, strengths-based and trauma-informed ways of working to guide sessions. Conversations aim to identify what feels stuck, then test practical strategies that fit each person’s life and values.

Outside her professional role, Heidi brings personal lived experience supporting a loved one through mental health challenges and navigating breast cancer. Those experiences inform her attentive, non-judgemental approach and commitment to listening first.

How evidence-based techniques translate to online care

Heidi draws on evidence-informed techniques like motivational interviewing and CBT-informed strategies to help people make changes and manage difficult thoughts and feelings. Motivational interviewing focuses on building motivation and clarifying personal goals, which is useful for people thinking about changing substance use or other habits. CBT-informed strategies help identify unhelpful thinking patterns and teach practical exercises for coping with anxiety and low mood.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. Heidi will discuss your needs, goals and preferences and collaborate on which techniques to try. That way the plan fits your life and values rather than feeling like a one-size-fits-all programme.

The biography does not specify session formats, so please confirm the available online options before booking. Many people find online sessions useful for fitting therapy around work, caregiving or health demands because they reduce travel and can be scheduled more flexibly. Other practical benefits include shorter check-ins when needed and easier access to consistent support during life transitions.