Heather Sutch, LCSW

Clinical Co-Director | Individual and Relationship Therapist
Philosophy and Approach:
I believe that people have the capacity to find the way of living that serves them the best and aim to assist them in connecting to this. I believe that therapy is a collaborative experience between client and therapist, in which we both bring useful tools and experiences. The therapeutic relationship between us provides the safe, creative space to bring about exploration and change.

I believe in working holistically and believe that the mind-body connection is key in addressing emotional struggles. Through techniques, such as mindfulness, we can learn to be present with the mind, body and spirit and find a more integrated existence.

I am cognizant of the context that clients come into therapy from and believe this should be very present in our work. Your unique cultural background and factors such as power dynamics and oppression, that are part of the society in which we live, are a key part of the picture that we work with in therapy.

As a clinical supervisor, I aim to assist my supervisee in finding their own identity as a therapist and to support them in recognizing and working on their growth edges to best support their clients. I take on different roles in the supervisory relationship but approach these in a collaborative way.

Sliding Scale Fee Structure: Owls’ Nest North is committed to making services accessible to everyone regardless of ability to pay. We seek to catch those who fall through the cracks of care in our current system. My sliding scale is determined by the current fee schedule of Owls’ Nest North. If you are un- or under-insured and therefore forced to pay out-of-pocket, please let me know prior to our first session, so we can determine your eligibility for a sliding scale fee. If you are experiencing difficulty navigating the new healthcare system, we are also happy to support and advocate for you in becoming insured.

At this time, I am only available to see OHP subscribers, private plan subscribers with out-of-network benefits, and cash/out-of-pocket payers. ONN’s regular fee is $200 per 53-minute session.

With a cash-pay/time-of-service discount, fees are:

$100 for individuals
$120 for couples

ONN only accepts cash as payment (no checks or cards).

Cancellations: Occasionally life intervenes and prevents us from following through with our commitments. I trust our mutual respect of one another’s time. As such, it is our policy to collect my full session fee for no-shows and sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.

If you are an OHP client, our contract does not allow us to charge for missed appointments and we would not want to, but we are unable to hold a regular appointment space after two missed/late cancelled appointments. You can, however, schedule into cancellation spots on your clinician’s schedule. This policy isn’t meant to be punitive, but to meet the needs of all parties involved.

Bio: I identify as a cisgender woman, queer, white, an immigrant to the United States, middle class and mostly able bodied. I do my own ongoing work about the ways these identities impact the therapeutic relationship and welcome discussion about this in our work together.

My original training was in Mental Health Nursing and I received my Bachelor’s degree with this focus from King’s College in London, U.K. I worked as a nurse in an inpatient unit with adolescents for 2 years before immigrating to the United States.

After arriving in the United States, my career transitioned to one in social work. I have since worked in a variety of community mental health settings and at the National University of Natural Medicine student counseling center. I earned my Master’s degree in Social Work from Portland State University in 2013 and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Throughout the years that I have worked in the mental health field, I have worked with a wide variety of clients with a diversity of life situations and experiences. I have worked primarily with marginalized populations, such as clients experiencing poverty and  LGBTQQi+ identified folks. I have had the privilege of walking alongside clients working through many different challenges including trauma, anxiety, depression, identity and relationship issues.

I have received training in Hakomi, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance  and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindful  Self Compassion. I utilize all these modalities alongside psychodynamic and attachment based approaches and anti-oppressive practice in my therapeutic work.

I have received additional training in supervision and have worked as a clinical supervisor for several years with both student interns and post-graduate supervisees.

Licensure: As a licensee of the Oregon Board of Social Workers, I abide by its Code of Ethics. While I am no longer required to be under clinical supervision, I seek out regular consultation with professional peers. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have questions about this.

Contact: heather@owlsnestnorth.com * 503.281.1166

Please be advised that email is not a secure form of communication, and while it is unlikely that your email communications would be of interest to nefarious pursuits, it is your risk to take. Owls’ Nest and I accept no responsibility for misuse or abuse of your communications. In an effort to minimize exposure/risk, we ask that you do not include any sensitive or process-oriented information in email, and utilize it solely for the purpose of logistical issues.