Heather V. Kight is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 20 years of clinical experience in the mental health field—she is a therapist who is dedicated and passionate about the work she does in this field.
She is a graduate from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work from Norfolk State University.
She has provided individual, family, marriage, and group therapy in multiple settings. Her treatment approaches include EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing- Adaptive Information Processing Model), neurobiological interventions that promote brain regulation (Neurofeedback therapy), structural family therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Heather enjoys working with children, adolescents, and adults to provide the most innovative treatment approaches available today. It is this dedication to continued education and research in these cutting edge treatments that demonstrate her commitment to providing best practices for her patients. The treatment methods that she uses assist in resolving depression, anxiety, trauma related issues (PTSD), ADD/ADHD, Aspergers, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and relational issues in the patients she works with at Waves Psychotherapy Services, P.C.
She is also a skilled educator who is committed to investing in the professional development of her colleagues to increase awareness and understanding of children and adolescents with mental, social and psychological challenges through her CEU accredited training course Attachment Theory and Interventions Workshop. She also trains therapist to practice EMDR therapy. These courses are provided through Waves Psychotherapy Services, P.C. She is one of the only EMDRIA Approved Trainers for the EMDR Therapy Training in Virginia.
Ms. Kight’s Additional Trainings and Experiences:
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR ) Ms. Kight has been a practicing EMDR therapist since February 2006. Furthermore she is an EMDRIA Certified Therapist in EMDR and EMDRIA Approved Consultant/Trainer in EMDR.
Completed the Basic EMDR Therapy Program in 2006
- Completed Consultation by Approved EMDRIA Consultant for Certification Requirements in 2009
- Completed Trauma-Informed Child Treatment Training Course in 2009
EMDR is a therapeutic tool designed for patients who suffer from traumatic
events, such as sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. The goal of EMDR as a
trauma therapy is to forge new connections between the unprocessed memory
(trauma) and the more adaptive information that are contained in other
memory networks. EMDR focuses directly on all the perceptual components of
disturbing memories (imagery, cognition, affect, body sensations) and
maintains these in a dynamic state while the patient simultaneously engages
in a dual attention task (eye movements). Research has shown the eye
movements decrease the vividness and emotionality of these disturbing
memories.
Neurofeedback Therapy Ms. Kight has been a
practicing Neurofeedback therapist since July 2005. She is currently working
towards requirements for Certification in EEG Biofeedback with the
Biofeedback Certification Institute of America.
· Completed 36 hours didactic EEG Biofeedback education in July 2005:
I. Orientation to EEG Biofeedback
II. Basic Neurophysiology and Neuro-Anatomy
III. Instrumentation and Electronics
IV. Research
V. Psychopharmacological Considerations
VI. Treatment Planning
VII. Professional Conduct
· Alpha/Theta Training (June 2006)
· Enhancement Skills in Neurofeedback Protocols Training (July 2007)
Neurofeedback therapy is a form of operant conditioning that rewards the brain for desired frequencies while discouraging activities at other frequencies. The goal of neurofeedback is to calm and stabilize the brain enabling the patient to acquire the skills necessary for self regulation of intense emotions. By training the brain to reduce slower brainwaves and increase faster brainwave activity, symptoms are often reduced in severity and frequency. Over time the improvement in brain functioning allows the new brain behaviors to be learned and maintained. The most common problems for which neurofeedback therapy is used clinically include: ADD/ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, Aspergers disorder, anger issues, and dissociative disorders. It is also being used to reduce the impact of cognitive impairment suffered by people with traumatic brain injury, improve sleep, and attachment issues.