Heidi McKinley
If you’re ready to get to know yourself on a deeper level, I help people uncover what’s underneath, reconnect with their inner clarity, and transform the way they relate to themselves.
IFS Therapist, educator, and coach
My Story
I’m deeply interested in the inner world—how we define ourselves in relation to others, what shapes us, what heals us, and how we grow into our most authentic selves (and the question of what “authentic self” really means).
Before I became a therapist, I worked in creative and service-driven jobs: as a hairstylist, a writer, a bartender, and a teacher. I earned my MFA in Creative Nonfiction and helped others get to know themselves through story. That love for narrative—especially the hidden, character-driven, emotional kind—naturally led me to therapy.
What drew me into this work on a deeper level was my own healing journey (ongoing!). Like many of my clients, I went through seasons of searching and self-discovery. I found myself caught in patterns I couldn’t logic my way out of. Internal Family Systems (IFS) is one piece of a holistic model of healing that helped me understand my experience—it gave me a way to truly transform it and to communicate directly with my intuition.
IFS teaches that we all have a core Self—a steady, compassionate, wise presence within us that can care for every part of us—the angry parts, the parts that engage in destructive habits, the vulnerable inner children. I stopped trying to fix myself and started listening to the parts of me that had never felt fully seen. That’s what I help others do now.
I work best with insightful, emotionally aware people who feel stuck in old relational patterns or disconnection from their own inner wisdom. Many of my clients have experienced attachment wounds, self-doubt, or burnout from trying to be everything to everyone. I also have a passion for helping those with religious trauma reconnect to a sense of spirituality.
My style is experiential, creative, and depth-oriented. Together, we’ll explore your inner world with curiosity—not judgment. We’ll find the protective strategies that helped you survive, and the parts of you that are still waiting to be met with love. I bring tools from IFS, EMDR, and narrative therapy into our work so that healing is not just possible, but transformational.
You are the author of your own story. I’m here to help you remember that—and to walk beside you as you author the next chapter.
"I believe that there is no universal approach to therapy. I tailor high quality sessions specifically for each client, to reflect their individual personality and needs."
Training
- IFS Level 1
- EMDR trained
- AEDP Level 1
- Narrative Therapy trained
- AIT trained
Education
M.S. Clinical Counseling
Loyola University, New Orleans, LA, (2023)
M.F.A. Creative Nonfiction Writing
University of New Orleans, (2018)
B.A. Psychology / Journalism & Mass Communication
University of Iowa, (2015)
B.A. Religious Studies
University of Northern Iowa, (2010)