Heidi Lapham Murphy, LPC, CSTS

Heidi is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia to provide therapy and is approved to provide clinical supervision to counseling residents in Virginia.  She also holds a certification as a Shame-Informed Treatment Specialist (CSTS). Heidi is a graduate from Marymount University’s Community Counseling program in 2010, where she has been practicing therapy for over 10 years. She strives to provide a supportive environment within the therapy session that can nurture vulnerability and true progress.

Heidi has worked with a variety of populations, including young adults transitioning in life during the college experience, adults with chronic mental health issues, at-risk youth and families providing intensive in-home care, and adolescents and teens with eating disorders. Her experience ranges from providing therapy on an outpatient, residential, day program, and intensive in-home level. Heidi specializes in working with eating disorders, shame, anxiety, depression, OCD, relationships, exercise compulsion, and family dynamics.

She uses interventions from the humanistic theories, existentialistic thought, strength-based counseling, and solution-focused therapy. Heidi focuses on what has “gone right” in a person’s life, versus what has “gone wrong” as a motivation for change. She has led Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) skills groups and encourages the use of distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, mindfulness, and emotion regulation skills to navigate recovery. By using mindfulness, grounding, and somatic techniques, Heidi works with clients to achieve greater self-awareness in order to thrive.

Working with Heidi

Life can be hard, challenging, discouraging, and downright exhausting. Life can also be beautiful, awe-inspiring, and bittersweet. Do you ever experience all of these feelings in the same day or in the past five minutes? Welcome to the human race and know that you are not alone.

I work with clients to navigate all the feelings that occur seemingly at the same time. Dialectics challenge holding two opposite thoughts or emotions at the same time, and knowing they all can be true. This feels impossible to do or understand. I seek to join you on your journey to experience these human emotions and learn how to not only tolerate them, but accept them. Once you learn to accept your feelings, then (strangely) change can occur.

If you have struggled with an eating disorder, anxiety, or depression, then you absolutely know what this feels like. When everything goes wrong in your life, "at least" you have eating disorder behaviors to fall back on…they are predictable and serve a purpose. Even considering living a life without using these behaviors can feel impossible. However, I can start (or continue) the extremely rewarding work with you to imagine a life that feels better. Where you do not have to rely on behaviors (even if these are not eating disorder behaviors, perhaps they are using substances or compulsions) in order to get by. One of the goals of our work together would be to try not to make life any harder and perhaps it can become, dare I say, less burdensome.

Hope is possible. Hope is attainable. Hope is real. I will hold that hope for you and with you.

Clinical Approach

Eating disorders are treatable and full recovery is possible. Many healthcare professionals either do not catch or see eating disorders when treating an individual. They may praise or criticise someone for their weight, which only sends the person further into their eating disorder behaviors. It is important to find a healthcare treatment team who is eating disorder informed and does not wait until someone is "sick enough" to require help.

I seek to validate each client and the struggles they present in therapy, especially in relation to their eating disorder. Eating disorders do not look a certain way and all must be addressed with immediate care. The most comprehensive care team for treatment is one that includes a primary care doctor, therapist, and dietitian who communicate frequently. Once a person feels supported by their team, they can engage in the most impactful work of healing.

I use DBT skills, along with focusing on treating deep-rooted shame to help clients overcome eating disorders, anxiety, and body image struggles. DBT is specially adapted for people who experience emotions very intensely; through using distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, mindfulness, and emotion regulation skills, emotions can feel tolerable.

Shame informed treatment is designed to address deep-seated feelings of inadequacy, self-criticism, and negative self-beliefs that often originate in childhood or traumatic experiences. It integrates insights from neuroscience, polyvagal theory, and trauma-informed care to help clients understand how shame affects their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. This approach emphasizes self-compassion, empathy, and safety.