Heather McQuay, MD, LCSW-C
Compassionate clinician helping people manage strong emotions
Book with HeatherWorks with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Anger management
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
How Heather works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- MD, LCSW-C
- Licensed in
- Maryland
- Years in practice
- 20
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Heather
Heather McQuay is a licensed clinical social worker in Maryland with an MD and a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical credential. She brings 20 years in human services and more than a decade as a practicing therapist. Her work centers on helping people manage stress, anxiety, anger, and major life changes.
She often supports people coping with trauma from childhood or adulthood. She also helps those struggling with depression, grief, relationship strain, parenting stress, and work-related burnout.
Background and approach
Her background includes care for mood disorders and attention-related concerns. Her style is person-centered. That means she listens first, and shapes each session around what matters to the individual.
Goals are practical and built from the client's priorities rather than a fixed checklist. Heather combines familiar strategies to meet different needs. She uses cognitive behavioral techniques to spot thought and behavior patterns.
She draws on acceptance and commitment ideas to help people live around difficult feelings, and uses motivational interviewing to support change. Sessions aim to be down-to-earth and focused on real life. People can expect a mix of skills practice, problem solving, and conversation about values and next steps.
Heather works collaboratively to adjust the plan as progress is made.
What Heather works with
Everything Heather lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Heather's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Anger management
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Heather lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches and remote care
Heather often draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice difficult feelings and choose actions that match their values. ACT is useful for managing anxiety, anger, and life transitions by shifting focus from avoiding feelings to living a meaningful life.She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and change behavior patterns. CBT provides clear tools for coping with stress, depression, and mood symptoms through skill practice and step-by-step exercises.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Heather works with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, needs, and preferences, and she adjusts strategies as progress is made.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and comfort levels. Video is good for face-to-face conversation and exercises, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat works for quick check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing brief contact and coaching between sessions. These options make it easier to get consistent care while juggling work, family, or mobility needs.
Questions people ask about Heather
What concerns does she address?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, anger, depression, trauma, grief, parenting strain, career issues, and attention-related concerns among other topics.
What is her therapy style like?
Her work is person-centered and collaborative, focusing on listening, setting practical goals, and using techniques that fit each person's needs.
How much experience does she have?
She has 20 years in human services and over a decade working as a licensed therapist.
What credentials and region are listed?
She holds an MD and is a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) practicing in Maryland.
Which languages are supported and can she see international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How does cost and payment work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.