Meet Heather Pierce, LMFT

Helping women and gender-expansive adults build a more compassionate relationship with themselves, their bodies, and food through weight-inclusive, LGBTQ+ affirming therapy.

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Heather Pierce, LMFT, sitting on a boardwalk bridge, therapist for body image and disordered eating in Newport, Oregon

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Heather, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based on the Oregon Coast, providing virtual therapy throughout Oregon and Colorado. I work with women and gender-expansive adults who are struggling with body image concerns, disordered eating, anxiety, perfectionism, self-criticism, questions about identity and belonging, and life transitions. My goal is to create a space where you can step away from the pressure to change yourself, show up as your full self, and begin building a more compassionate relationship with yourself.

I've been practicing since 2013. I began my career in community and county mental health, working with children, adolescents, and families facing a wide range of challenges. Over time, I found myself drawn to supporting people struggling with body image concerns, disordered eating, and the pressure to live up to expectations that often feel impossible to maintain.

For the past several years, my work has focused on eating disorders, disordered eating, body image concerns, and weight-inclusive care. I've worked in outpatient settings and higher levels of care, including Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP). Along the way, I've seen how much time and energy people spend trying to change their body, earn approval, avoid criticism, or finally feel good enough. Those struggles rarely stay confined to food or body image. They often affect relationships, boundaries, self-doubt, and the ability to enjoy everyday life.

I believe people deserve support that doesn't ask them to earn their worth through weight loss, productivity, perfection, or self-sacrifice. Therapy can be a place to step back from those pressures, question messages that have shaped how you see yourself, and decide which expectations fit your life and which no longer do.

How I Work

I don't believe therapy should ask you to become a different person in order to feel better. Many of the people I work with have spent years trying to fix themselves, meet impossible expectations, or believe they'll finally feel worthy once they change their body, quiet their inner critic, or get everything "right." My role is to help you step back from those pressures and build a different relationship with yourself rooted in compassion, trust, and respect.

Over time, many people spend less time thinking about food, their body, or whether they’re doing enough. Decisions become easier because they’re guided more by their values than fear of disappointing others. They begin setting boundaries with less guilt and find more time and energy for the people, relationships, and experiences that matter most.

Heather Pierce, LMFT, sitting peacefully on driftwood at the beach, therapist for women and gender-expansive adults in Newport, Oregon

Weight-Inclusive Care

My work is grounded in weight-inclusive, Health at Every Size® (HAES®)-aligned care. I believe health cannot be measured by body size alone, and therapy should never ask you to pursue weight loss in order to deserve care, respect, or well-being.

Body Trust® & Self-Compassion

My work is informed by principles of Body Trust®, self-compassion, and respect for the inherent wisdom of each person's lived experience. Together, we'll explore your relationship with food, your body, and yourself with compassion while making space for you to decide what fits your life and what no longer does.

A Personalized Approach

No two people arrive in therapy with the same experiences or goals. My work draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E), Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT), Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), and other evidence-based approaches. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, I tailor therapy to your unique needs, values, and goals.

Why I Do This Work

I believe people deserve support that does not ask them to earn their worth through weight loss, productivity, perfection, or self-sacrifice. That belief has become the foundation of my work and continues to shape the way I support the people I have the privilege of working with.

My passion for this work comes not only from my professional training and experience, but also from my own lived experience. As a fat, white, cisgender woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I understand how powerful cultural messages about bodies, worth, and belonging can be. I also recognize the layers of privilege I carry, including being white and having access to higher education. Holding both realities informs the way I show up in my practice, with humility, curiosity, and a commitment to creating an affirming, liberatory space.

One of the greatest privileges of this work is seeing people become less focused on meeting external expectations and more connected to their own values, needs, and priorities. As they begin to respond to themselves with greater compassion and to trust themselves more fully, they often discover a sense of freedom they haven't experienced in years.

Heather Pierce standing on the rocky Oregon Coast near Newport, weight-inclusive therapist office setting

A Little About Me

I live on the Oregon Coast with my spouse and our goofy Bernedoodle, Ziggy, who always has something to say, and Luna, our tender-hearted Great Dane whose favorite place is right beside us.

Outside of work, I'm a bit of a hobby hopper, dabbling in weaving, knitting, calligraphy, and other creative pursuits without ever really sticking with one long enough to get "good."

I also enjoy beach walks with my spouse and dogs, camping, road trips, and planning vacations, both close to home and abroad.

What Matters Most to Me

Every person deserves dignity, respect, and compassionate care.

Your worth is never determined by your body, your productivity, or how well you meet other people's expectations.

People deserve support that does not ask them to earn their worth through weight loss, perfection, or self-sacrifice.

Historic lighthouse on the Oregon Coast near Newport, representing Heather Pierce's virtual therapy practice location

My Professional Background

  • MA in Counseling Psychology

    • Specialization in Transpersonal Psychology

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

    • Licensed in OR, CA, CO, TX, UT, MT, NV & ID

    • Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E)

    • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

    • Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)

    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

    • Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO DBT)

    • Mindful Self-Compassion

    • Ample + Rooted Foundation in Eating Disorders

    • Health at Every Size® (HAES®)-aligned care

    • Weight-inclusive care

    • LGBTQIA+ affirming and gender-affirming care

    • Menopause-informed mental health

    • Body image and eating disorder treatment

    • Columbia River Eating Disorder Network (CREDN)

    • American Association for Marriage & Family Therapists (AAMFT)

ANXIETY & DEPRESSION

LGBTQ+ AFFIRMING CARE

BODY COMPASSION & HEALING

MIDLIFE TRANSITIONS

IDENTITY EXPLORATION

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you're ready to build a more compassionate relationship with yourself, your body, and food, I'd be honored to learn more about your story and explore whether we're a good fit to work together.

Schedule Your Free Consultation