About

Heather M. Pederson, Ph.D., ABPP

I have a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. With influence from many years as a researcher, I transitioned to private practice in 2012 and have continued to integrate the best practices and evidence based strategies for dealing with clients’ presenting concerns, whether they be related to improving client relationships or their personal mental health. 

I have served in several editorial and leadership positions. I am on the editorial board for Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, a scholarly journal that publishes papers on the research that is most relevant to clinical work with couples and families. I am a past editor and associate editor for The Family Psychologist, which is a professional publication of  Division 43 of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Couple and Family Psychology. I am also a past associate editor of the Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Psychology, which was a 2016-launched project out of Northwestern University’s The Family Institute.

I am board certified as a couple and family psychologist by the American Academy of Couple and Family Psychology. Although many psychologists will offer couples or family therapy to their clients, very few are board certified. My clients can trust that I have the skills and expertise to help with their relationships at some of the most vulnerable and painful times.

While relationship therapy is a focus of much of my work, I was trained as a generalist psychologist and have always worked with adolescents and adults in individual therapy. My approach to anxiety and mood issues has been to incorporate mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ACT) strategies. I am certified by Penn’s Center for the Study and Treatment of Anxiety to treat OCD using exposure and response prevention (ERP). If you have more questions about my approach, you can contact me to set up a free phone consultation.

Learn about my services.