Heather Hanford, AMFT
Heather Hanford, AMFT
she / her / hers
Senior Associate Therapist
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist: AMFT 144604
Supervised by: Katie Malone, LPCC, LMFT
Phone: 818-337-7088, ext. 111
Hiya! I’m Heather, and I’d love to hear your story. As a fellow neurodivergent person, I have become especially passionate about providing neurodiversity-affirming therapy–creating a supportive environment for you or your child to thrive authentically. Thank you for taking the time to prioritize your well-being and for considering me and TheraThrive to be part of your journey.
Clinical Approach
I provide affirming, client-centered therapy for children, teens, adults, and couples, and I have a particular passion for working with neurodivergent clients of all ages, and neurodiverse couples.
Whether you’re navigating ADHD, autism, OCD, anxiety, depression, the nuances of giftedness, big life transitions, or identity exploration, I offer a calm, supportive space tailored to your needs.
You (and/or your child, family, or partner) are at the center of the process. Therapy with me starts with deep respect for your lived experience.
One of my greatest joys as a therapist is supporting clients who have felt like they’re “too much” or “not enough” in a world not built for them. Together, we’ll work to reconnect you with your strengths and sense of self.
I draw from a range of evidence-based and creative approaches, including:
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Mindfulness and Positive Psychology
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Relational and Attachment Theory
- Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples
- Art and pop culture-based therapy
- Neurodiversity-affirming frameworks
The Healing Power of Play Therapy
While adults often experience therapy through the exchanging of words, kids process their emotions and connect to themselves and others through the joy of play. As a child therapist specializing in child-centered play therapy, I create a nurturing environment where kids feel truly seen and accepted for who they are. Grounded in the principles of Carl Rogers and Virginia Axline, my work supports children in developing emotional insight, confidence, and resilience through play-based connection.
This non-directive, empathetic approach allows children to process their experiences in a way that’s natural and healing for them, whether they’re navigating anxiety, attentional struggles, depression, sensory overwhelm, life transitions, and beyond.
Supporting Teens Through Transitions
Adolescence is full of intensity, identity shifts, and big emotions, and for neurodivergent teens, these experiences can feel especially overwhelming.
I work with teens in a creative and collaborative way to help them process what they’re going through, whether that’s intensity, hopelessness, perfectionism, burnout, or feeling like they don’t quite fit in.
Many of the teens I work with who are navigating autism, ADHD, OCD, or other forms of neurodivergence, often feel the weight of being misunderstood. Therapy can offer a space to unpack those experiences, connect with identity, and learn ways to self-advocate.
In our work together, we might explore emotions through conversation, music, pop culture, art, or simply by having a trusted adult to talk to who really listens and is not a part of their everyday life.
I support teens in untangling the pressures to be perfect and helping them connect with a more compassionate and authentic version of themselves.
A Neurodivergent Therapist's Perspective
Like many of my clients, I didn’t receive my ADHD diagnosis until adulthood. That diagnosis, and later self-identifying as autistic, transformed the way I understood myself and my relationships.
As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent therapist, I know firsthand how validating, life-changing, and sometimes overwhelming that discovery can be. My work centers those of us who’ve felt misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or invisible in traditional therapy spaces.
I’m especially passionate about working with neurodivergent women, trans and nonbinary folks, and others who’ve slipped through diagnostic cracks.
I bring compassion, curiosity, and real-life understanding to my work with clients navigating neurodivergence, relationships, burnout, and identity exploration. You don’t have to do it alone.
Heather approaches therapy with curiosity and creativity, emphasizing the therapeutic relationship from an eclectic clinical perspective. By combining aspects of relational, emotion-focused, person-centered, and strength-based perspectives, Heather provides a non-judgemental and validating space, especially designed to support and embrace the neurodivergent mind.
Navigating Chronic Illness & Medical Trauma
Living with chronic illness often comes with a unique set of challenges that go beyond physical symptoms. For many of my clients, whose conditions range from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) to Huntington’s Disease, from chronic pain to autoimmune disorders, the journey involves not only managing health but also navigating a medical system that can often feel dismissive, overwhelming, or inaccessible.
I offer a specialized space for clients at the intersection of neurodivergence and chronic illness. My work focuses on processing the grief, frustration, and anxiety that accompany long-term health struggles, while specifically addressing medical trauma. Whether you've experienced repeated misdiagnoses, felt unheard by providers, or faced traumatic hospitalizations, we can work through these wounds together.
Beyond healing from past trauma, I help clients understand and map their energetic capacities. We explore the nuances of pacing as a compassionate strategy to honor your body's needs. Together, we'll develop sustainable rhythms for daily life that reduce burnout and shame, helping you navigate your days with greater agency and less fear of crashing. Most importantly, we’ll find an approach that respects your mental, emotional, and physical realities.
Intersectionality & Social Justice
One of my passions, both in and out of the therapy office, is social justice, including continuously educating myself on related current issues and events. I’m a firm believer that cultural awareness and competence is a critical skill for work in the mental health field, and I am dedicated to lifelong learning. To that end, in addition to affirming neurodiversity, I work hard to provide inclusive care: LGBTQ+ affirming, actively anti-racist, sex positive, and with awareness of intersectionality.
Education & Experience
Prior to joining the TheraThrive team, I had the honor of counseling students at Glendale Community College in Glendale, California through challenges associated with life-stage transitions, academic stress, social anxiety, family conflict, individuation, and others. I particularly enjoyed work centered around interpersonal relationships, especially with my clients who identified as neurodivergent.
Before fully committing to the field of therapy, I gained valuable pre-clinical experience in specialized wellness retail, where I provided compassionate, trauma-informed guidance to individuals exploring options for managing depression, anxiety, PTSD, chronic pain, and beyond. This role allowed me to meet people where they were, helping them navigate their health journeys and find relief in a supportive and non-judgmental environment.
I earned my Master of Arts in Psychology, specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy from California Southern University, deciding to change career paths after years in marketing, graphic design, and business operations management. My undergraduate work culminated in a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Communications at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. I am currently a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT #144604), and I am working towards licensure under the supervision of TheraThrive’s Clinical Director, Katie Malone, LPCC, LMFT.
Specializations
Child centered play therapy
Therapy for teenagers
Individual adult therapy
Parent support
Family therapy
Relationship therapy
High sensitivity, highly sensitive people
LGBTQ+
Chronic illness and autoimmune
OCD
Plurality, DID
Autism
Giftedness and twice exceptionality (2e)
TBI
ADHD