Heather Huiting, LCSW (she/her)

Founder, Embracing Change Counseling Services, LLC 

Co‑Founder, West Valley Therapist Collective 

Co‑Founder, Aligned Wellness Spaces

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Heather began her career as a teacher in 1999, where she quickly recognized that many children’s emotional and behavioral needs were going unmet in school settings — creating barriers to learning, connection, and growth. That early insight sparked her transition into social work, driven by a commitment to help people navigate change in ways that foster healing, empowerment, and resilience.

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She founded Embracing Change Counseling Services on the belief that while change is inevitable — and often uncomfortable — it can also be the catalyst for becoming who we’re meant to be. Her therapeutic style is attuned, flexible, and deeply relational, grounded in meeting clients exactly where they are and honoring the wisdom they already carry.

Heather is especially passionate about supporting LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, shaped by her upbringing in diverse neighborhoods and by the values instilled by her single mother: respect, curiosity, and compassion. She brings that same openness into her sessions, reminding clients that therapy isn’t a performance — it’s a space for connection, trust, and showing up as your full self.

Heather earned her MSW in 2004 and has spent more than 20 years helping adults create meaningful, sustainable change. She is a Clinical Supervisor in Arizona, EMDR‑trained, and deeply committed to advancing the social work profession through mentorship, community building, and advocacy.

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Her leadership extends beyond her practice. As Co‑Founder of the West Valley Therapist Collective, Heather helps cultivate a growing community of ethically minded mental health practitioners dedicated to connection, collaboration, and professional growth. WVTC hosts multiple events each month — including networking gatherings, self‑care workshops, and educational opportunities — all designed to strengthen relationships among clinicians throughout the West Phoenix Valley. The collective’s mission is to reduce isolation, elevate ethical practice, and create a supportive environment where therapists can learn from one another and become stronger clinicians together.

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As Co‑Founder of Aligned Wellness Spaces, Heather supports the development of affirming, accessible environments where therapists and clients alike can thrive. Aligned Wellness Spaces offers thoughtfully designed rooms for therapy, energy work, and medication management — warm, connected spaces that nurture holistic well‑being across mind, body, and spirit. The environment is cozy, drama‑free, and rooted in the belief that seeking help for mental health should be destigmatized and celebrated. By bringing multiple modalities together under one roof, Aligned Wellness Spaces fosters openness, shared learning, and a sense of community for both providers and clients.

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Across all her work, Heather prioritizes building teams and communities that are LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC allied, united in the mission of creating safe, inclusive spaces, decolonizing and dismantling systems of hate and harm.

A little more about Heather: Outside of counseling, she enjoys arts and crafts, and iced coffee breaks. She loves rewatching sitcoms like The Office, Parks and Rec and Superstore, and occasionally sneaks those references into sessions when they help clients feel more at ease. Perimenopause has created an ADHD- girly, but she is proud to have an amazing therapist and continues learning: Every. Damn. Day. 

Above all, Heather wants people to know that the strength, clarity, and beauty they’re searching for are already within them.