Trauma and PTSD therapists & psychiatrists in Salem, OR

Hello! I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker that firmly believes in personalized and whole-person care. I am a neurodivergent therapist that loves to work with other neurodivergent people. I have been practicing therapy since 2019. I have worked in schools as well as working in a group therapy practice.

Making the decision to start therapy is a profound investment of your time, energy, and vulnerability. If you are looking for a blank-slate clinician who simply nods and listens, we might not be the best fit. I offer a highly engaged, malleable, and unflinching partnership.

My approach is rooted in the belief that while the work of untangling our lives is deeply structural, the room itself doesn't always have to feel heavy. I bring a grounded warmth to my practice—which means knowing how to sit quietly in the gravity of a difficult truth, but also knowing when to break the tension, exhale, and find the light in the sheer complexity of being human. I won’t just sit in silence while you do all the heavy lifting; I am an active collaborator who adapts to exactly where you are.

I practice primarily from a Gestalt therapy orientation that is humanistic, holistic, and experiential. I also integrate cognitive behavioral, somatic, and internal family systems strategies as needed. I approach therapy collaboratively, with the assumption that you are the expert of your experiences and my role is to guide you toward increased awareness, insight, and behavior integration in order to make meaningful changes that meet your goals. I believe psychotherapy is a powerful tool for achieving self-understanding, reducing distress, and relieving symptoms.

I’m Dr. Heather Cromwell, a Licensed Professional Counselor providing telehealth therapy to adults in Alaska and Oregon. I have over 10 years of experience working in behavioral health across outpatient, inpatient, and community mental health settings, including extensive work with individuals experiencing serious and persistent mental illness, anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, burnout, and emotional overwhelm.

My background includes a Ph.D. and Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, along with years of leadership and program development experience in behavioral healthcare. I bring both clinical expertise and a practical, person-centered approach to therapy.

I believe therapy works best when clients feel genuinely seen, heard, and emotionally safe. My style is warm, collaborative, direct when helpful, and grounded in authenticity. I work to create a space where clients can better understand themselves, strengthen coping skills, improve relationships, process difficult experiences, and move toward meaningful change at a pace that feels manageable and supportive.

I understand that reaching out for support can feel vulnerable, and I strive to make the process feel approachable and comfortable from the very beginning.