As a child I processed deeply. My dad used to ask me, “Heather, what are you thinking about so deeply?” I thought about things most kids my age didn’t seem to think or feel as much about: I thought about what it meant to have different skin colors and I thought about how animals and people were treated. I noticed subtle stimuli all around me and I felt deeply about what I noticed.

Today I accept my own sensitive temperament. It’s been quite a journey of discovery, healing, and empowerment. And the journey continues, as it does for each of us. A student of mine once shared a quote with me. It held such personal meaning that I wrote it down immediately:

“I ask them to picture their life as a one-of-a-kind tapestry, one that is woven together by their past experiences - threads of experiences. Threads of unique joys, pain, people, places, and passions. And if that tapestry were unraveled, could they find a thread of deep purpose and fulfillment that has intertwined with each and every experience? That thread, whatever that thread is… that is what they must pursue.” - Unknown Author

I knew the answer: I must pursue greater understanding of, and appreciation for, the highly sensitive temperament trait.

My first real passion in college was human wellness. I took a public health course and learned about habits that can lead to a life prioritizing wellness. It is not easy to focus on wellness and self-care in a culture designed for those without our temperament. However, we can all improve our wellness, despite any circumstance. It is a living process, not a final destination. Highly sensitive people have gifts useful to the world and can learn to optimize the advantages of their temperament trait.

I am currently an Associate Professor for New Mexico Highlands University, in part so that I can serve many minority students. I am currently involved in a grant that will ensure counselors learn empirically-based competencies for integrating spirituality, if important to the client. Previous to my current position, I was faculty at Peabody College of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University for 14 years. My teaching, practice, and research interests focus on the temperament trait of high sensitivity, accuracy of assessments, wellness, and interprofessional clinical practice to improve outcomes for individuals and groups.

Although I am licensed to do so, at this time I choose not to diagnose or treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders or provide nutrition intervention for disease. Instead, I serve as a consultant to assist you with information for greater wellness related to your sensitivity temperament or the temperament of someone you know. Often, clients realize benefits when they gain an understanding of how high sensitivity functions uniquely in their lives and how they may optimize their temperament.