Chester River Behavioral

Heather Satterfield, LCPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Heather has worked in the counseling field since 2009. She started working at Chester River Behavioral Health as an Alcohol and Drug Trainee under the supervision of Sarah Smith-Putman. Her work there included individual and group counseling for clients experiencing problems related to substance use. She was licensed as a Graduate Professional Counselor for the State of Maryland in 2013. From 2013 through 2015, she provided individual, group, and couples counseling at Community Behavioral Health in Centreville, MD. Part of her work there involved school-based counseling services for children in the Queen Annes County Public Schools. In 2015, Heather was licensed as a Clinical Professional Counselor and returned to Chester River Behavioral Health, where she currently provides therapy services.  She is a member of the American Counseling Association and is a Nationally Certified Counselor.

Philosophy of Care

When working with clients, my overall goal is to inspire hope, healing, and a sense of wellbeing. I work collaboratively with each client to understand the problems that they are experiencing and create a plan for recovery and improved wellness. I believe it is important to build a positive and encouraging relationship with clients so that they feel safe to work on difficult issues. I focus on facilitating changes in attitude and behaviors to improve mood and move clients toward their goals. In treatment, I help clients explore how past experiences may influence current problematic patterns of thinking and behaviors. Once these patterns are identified, we can work to replace them with healthier ones by learning new skills. When our actions do not align with our personal values, this can create feelings of mental discomfort and distress. I help clients to examine their values and in evaluating how they are incorporating those (or not) into daily life to reduce negative feelings. I want my clients to feel empowered to advocate for their needs, confident in their abilities, and positive about who they are and where they are headed.