Sydney Heitkamp, CT

Sydney Heitkamp (pronouns: she/her) is a counselor trainee who works with individuals across the lifespan. Her specialty interests include anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma, substance use, and supporting adolescents, young adults, and older adults as they navigate life's challenges and transitions. Sydney utilizes a warm, collaborative treatment approach to help clients build on their strengths, develop practical coping skills, and work toward meaningful, lasting change.

Sydney completed her advanced education at Bluffton University, earning a bachelor’s degree in social work. She is currently a master’s student at University of Phoenix completing a degree in clinical mental health counseling. As part of her graduate training, she has completed coursework in counseling theories, assessment and diagnosis, ethics, multicultural counseling, group counseling, human development, career counseling, research, and psychopharmacology. Her clinical training has also included experience facilitating psychoeducational and process groups in an inpatient geriatric psychiatric setting, individual counseling, and mental health and substance abuse group counseling with adolescents and adults. She is committed to lifelong learning and continually seeks opportunities to expand her clinical knowledge and skills through education, supervision, and evidence-based practice.

Prior to Wellness Grove, Sydney has several years of experience working with individuals in outpatient community mental health and substance abuse settings and has spent the past several years providing support to older adults in an inpatient geriatric psychiatric unit as a licensed social worker. She has experience working with individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, grief, cognitive changes, severe and persistent mental illness, and other behavioral health concerns, while collaborating with interdisciplinary treatment teams to support comprehensive care. She has developed skills in crisis intervention, treatment planning, and evidence-based therapeutic interventions. She is committed to ongoing professional development and values clinical supervision, continuing education, and lifelong learning as essential components of providing high-quality, client-centered care.

Beyond her clinical work, Sydney is passionate about creating a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment where clients feel heard, respected, and empowered. She believes that the counseling relationship is built on trust, collaboration, and genuine compassion, and she strives to meet each client where they are in their journey. Sydney is dedicated to helping clients recognize their strengths, build resilience, and work toward meaningful personal growth and lasting well-being.

Sydney’s approach to counseling is grounded in a person-centered, strengths-based perspective, emphasizing the importance of creating a safe, authentic, and collaborative therapeutic relationship. She believes that each client is the expert in their own life and works alongside clients to explore their experiences, identify strengths, and develop strategies that support growth and healing. Sydney integrates evidence-based approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and solution-focused techniques, while tailoring interventions to each client’s unique needs, goals, and values. She strives to provide a compassionate, empathetic, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel empowered to create meaningful change.

Her strengths include: empathy, active listening, compassion, adaptability, and the ability to recognize and build upon the strengths of others.