Congenital Heart Disease & Mental Health

Heart and Mind Counseling – Specialized Mental Health Support for Everyone Affected by Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease affects far more than the heart. For many people it becomes woven into daily life from the very beginning, shaping childhood, family relationships, school, friendships, independence, career decisions, parenting, healthcare experiences, and the way people think about the future. For some, CHD is a condition they live with personally. For others, it is part of the life of someone they love.

At Heart and Mind Counseling, we provide specialized mental health support for people impacted by congenital heart disease across the lifespan. We work with children, adolescents, adults, parents, siblings, partners, caregivers, families, and the healthcare professionals whose lives have been touched by CHD.

We understand that congenital heart disease is more than a medical diagnosis. Its emotional impact may show up in obvious ways, such as anxiety before a procedure or fear following a hospitalization. It may also appear through identity, relationships, grief, caregiving responsibilities, life transitions, family dynamics, self-confidence, career decisions, or questions about what the future may hold. Many people affected by CHD spend years feeling as though they must explain their experiences before they can begin talking about them — educating therapists, friends, employers, and even family members about realities that feel impossible to summarize in a few sentences.

Our goal is to create a different experience. Whether you are navigating a new diagnosis, supporting a child with CHD, adjusting to adulthood with a congenital heart condition, preparing for surgery, coping with anxiety, recovering from a medical crisis, facing advanced cardiac interventions, or supporting a loved one, help is available. You do not have to navigate this journey alone.

We proudly serve clients online in: Alabama, Colorado, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

We also have offices in Michigan located in Birmingham, Clinton Township, and Mt. Clemens, and we provide telehealth services across all our licensed states.

Understanding the Impact of Congenital Heart Disease

Every person’s experience with congenital heart disease is unique. Some individuals require multiple surgeries throughout childhood. Others have long periods of stability interrupted by unexpected medical challenges. Some are diagnosed before birth; others receive answers much later in life. Yet despite these differences, many individuals and families share a common experience: congenital heart disease affects more than physical health.

Over time, CHD can influence how people view themselves, how they relate to others, how they approach independence, and how they make important decisions. It can shape family roles, caregiving responsibilities, financial decisions, education, career planning, dating, marriage, parenting, and aging. For some, it becomes so intertwined with daily life that it begins to feel inseparable from their identity.

At Heart and Mind Counseling, we believe congenital heart disease may be an important part of your story, but it does not have to become your entire story. Part of the therapeutic process may involve exploring how CHD has shaped your life while also reconnecting with your strengths, values, interests, relationships, goals, and sense of self beyond a diagnosis. Our work is not about minimizing the impact of CHD — it is about helping individuals and families integrate that experience into a fuller, more balanced life.

Who We Support

Individuals Living with Congenital Heart Disease

We work with children, adolescents, transition-age youth, and adults living with congenital heart disease. Some clients seek therapy because they are struggling with anxiety, depression, stress, or grief. Others are navigating a major medical transition such as surgery, a new diagnosis, advanced heart failure, transplant evaluation, transplantation, pregnancy considerations, or the move from pediatric to adult congenital heart care. Many simply want a place where they do not have to spend the first part of every session explaining what it means to live with a lifelong heart condition.

Parents and Caregivers

Parents often carry enormous responsibilities that are invisible to others. The emotional impact of CHD may begin at diagnosis and continue for years through surgeries, procedures, appointments, school concerns, transition planning, and ongoing uncertainty. Parents may experience anxiety, grief, guilt, exhaustion, relationship strain, caregiver burnout, and the ongoing challenge of balancing protection with independence. Therapy can provide a space to process these experiences, strengthen coping strategies, and find support while caring for someone you love.

Siblings and Family Members

Congenital heart disease affects entire families. Siblings may experience worry, fear, confusion, resentment, guilt, or feelings of being overlooked. Extended family members often carry their own concerns while trying to support those closest to the situation. Family relationships may be strengthened by shared experience, but they may also become strained by stress, differing coping styles, and years of navigating complex medical challenges together. We help families improve communication, strengthen relationships, and navigate these experiences together.

Relationships, Connection, and the Human Experience of CHD

Congenital heart disease does not occur in isolation. While CHD affects the individual living with the diagnosis, it also influences relationships, families, friendships, caregiving roles, and the broader support systems that surround a person throughout life. Many individuals develop deep and meaningful connections — some within the CHD community itself, forming bonds with people who understand the realities of surgeries, procedures, uncertainty, and recovery. These relationships can be incredibly validating and supportive because others have lived experience with the same realities.

At the same time, many individuals living with CHD also desire friendships, relationships, and community connections outside of the congenital heart disease world — meaningful relationships based on shared interests, values, humor, goals, and life experiences. The realities of a lifelong medical condition can sometimes influence how relationships develop. Energy limitations, medical responsibilities, and recovery periods may affect participation in the activities that naturally create opportunities for connection. This does not mean they lack interest in connection; in fact, many individuals affected by CHD place enormous value on relationships and community.

Couples and Long-Term Relationships

Many individuals living with congenital heart disease develop healthy, supportive, and fulfilling romantic relationships. However, CHD can introduce considerations many couples have never previously encountered. A relationship may begin during a relatively stable period, before a partner has witnessed a major procedure, hospitalization, or recovery. Years later, when new health concerns emerge, both partners may find themselves navigating unfamiliar territory. One challenge many couples encounter is that they have very different experiences of the same condition — the individual living with CHD has often spent a lifetime adapting to medical realities, while a partner may only have witnessed a portion of that journey. This does not reflect a lack of caring or commitment. Often, it reflects a difference in lived experience. Even strong relationships can benefit from support when conversations about caregiving, independence, family planning, and uncertainty become difficult.

Family Dynamics and Caregiving

Families impacted by CHD often demonstrate remarkable strength and dedication. At the same time, CHD can influence family roles in ways that continue long after childhood. Parents frequently develop different approaches to risk, safety, and independence — one may become highly protective and vigilant while another encourages greater independence. Neither approach is inherently right or wrong, but differences in perspective can create tension. As children grow into adolescents and adults, parents who have spent years coordinating care may find it difficult to step back, while young adults may simultaneously desire independence and feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities that accompany it.

Complicated Relationships and Self-Worth

Living with CHD can sometimes influence how individuals view themselves and navigate relationships. Many people spend years feeling different from their peers in ways that are difficult to explain, and over time these experiences can affect self-confidence, self-worth, and relationship choices. Some individuals navigate complicated dynamics involving caregiving, dependence, finances, or family expectations; others struggle to advocate for their own needs. Our team includes clinicians with expertise in trauma, family systems, complex relationship dynamics, boundaries, and self-worth. We help individuals better understand their relationships, strengthen healthy connections, and navigate difficult situations with greater confidence and clarity.

Common Challenges We Help Address

Every congenital heart disease journey is unique, yet common emotional, relational, and psychological themes often emerge across the lifespan. Some people seek support during a major medical event; others come to therapy because they are struggling with relationships, work, anxiety, grief, identity questions, caregiving, or the cumulative impact of years spent navigating life with a congenital condition. Our clinicians understand that CHD is rarely just about the heart.

Medical Trauma, PTSD, and Nervous System Regulation

Many individuals living with CHD have experienced repeated procedures, surgeries, hospitalizations, testing, emergencies, and prolonged uncertainty. For some, these experiences occur so early in life that they become part of the background of their story; others can clearly identify specific events that continue to affect them years later. The emotional impact is often underestimated. Some individuals experience symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress — hypervigilance, anxiety, avoidance, intrusive memories, difficulty sleeping, or persistent fears related to health and medical care. Trauma does not always present as obvious fear; it can also appear as chronic nervous system activation, emotional exhaustion, perfectionism, overfunctioning, shutdown, or a constant sense of waiting for something bad to happen. Before deeper trauma processing can occur, many individuals first need support helping their nervous systems feel safe and regulated again. Our clinicians use evidence-based approaches including EMDR, Brainspotting, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), somatic interventions, and mindfulness-based approaches to support both emotional processing and nervous system regulation.

Living with Uncertainty

Few people spend as much time navigating uncertainty as individuals and families affected by CHD. Even when someone is doing well medically, there are often questions that cannot be answered with complete certainty: How will my condition change over time? Will I need another intervention? What will my health look like in five, ten, or twenty years? Because every heart and every person is different, uncertainty often becomes a companion throughout life. For some it creates anxiety; for others, hypervigilance, excessive planning, or difficulty making decisions. Therapy cannot eliminate uncertainty, but it can help individuals develop greater confidence, flexibility, self-trust, and resilience while navigating the unknown.

Identity, Self-Worth, and Invisible Challenges

Many individuals living with CHD spend years trying to answer an important question: Who am I beyond my diagnosis? CHD is rarely the entirety of a person’s identity, yet it often remains present in ways that influence education, careers, relationships, family planning, and future goals. CHD is also often an invisible condition. People may see someone who appears healthy, successful, and energetic without recognizing the planning, recovery, and energy management required behind the scenes. As a result, individuals may feel misunderstood or pressured to keep up with unrealistic expectations. We help individuals explore identity beyond the diagnosis, strengthen self-worth, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and develop healthier ways of understanding both their challenges and their strengths.

Grief, Loss, and Interrupted Timelines

When people think about grief, they often think about the loss of a loved one. While bereavement can be part of the CHD experience, many individuals and families encounter forms of grief that are less visible. For some, grief emerges through comparison — watching peers move through life with an ease, energy, or predictability that feels difficult to access. Many describe feeling as though life occasionally pauses while everyone else continues moving forward, as a surgery, hospitalization, or recovery temporarily interrupts education, career goals, relationships, or personal milestones. When those interruptions occur repeatedly, they can create a sense of loss that is difficult to put into words. Parents often carry their own grief, having begun parenthood in circumstances they never expected. Siblings may carry grief too, sometimes quietly. Acknowledging these losses does not mean giving up hope — it often creates space for healing, self-compassion, and a deeper appreciation of the strength it has taken to keep moving forward.

Work, School, Achievement, and the Invisible Effort of CHD

Many individuals living with CHD are remarkably determined. What is often less visible is the effort required to achieve their goals while also balancing healthcare needs, insurance concerns, appointments, recovery periods, fatigue, and uncertainty. A frequent challenge is the tendency to misinterpret physical limitations as personal shortcomings — describing oneself as lazy or unmotivated when the reality is carrying responsibilities and physical demands others do not see. For many adults, employment carries additional significance because it is connected not only to identity and purpose but also to healthcare access, insurance coverage, and financial security. Performance reviews, career transitions, and health-related absences may feel especially stressful. We help individuals navigate perfectionism, self-criticism, career stress, and the complex relationship between ambition and health — not to reduce their aspirations, but to help them pursue those aspirations sustainably.

Transitioning from Pediatric to Adult Congenital Heart Care

The transition from pediatric to adult congenital heart care is one of the most significant milestones in the CHD journey. Though often described as a change in providers, it usually involves much more — a shift in responsibility, independence, self-advocacy, family roles, and identity. Responsibilities previously managed by parents, such as scheduling appointments, communicating with providers, understanding insurance, and managing medications, may suddenly become the young adult’s own. Some feel ready; others feel unprepared. Parents often experience a transition of their own, and stepping back can be emotionally challenging even when everyone agrees greater independence is appropriate. One of the most significant risks during this period is becoming disconnected from care altogether — life gets busy, insurance changes, appointments get postponed, and before someone realizes it, months or years may pass without consistent follow-up. Therapy can help individuals and families navigate this transition, strengthen self-advocacy, manage anxiety, and build confidence in adult healthcare systems while maintaining important family relationships.

Aging with Congenital Heart Disease

The story of congenital heart disease has changed dramatically over the past several decades. Advances in medicine, surgery, and specialized care have created opportunities previous generations never had, and increasing numbers of individuals are now navigating middle adulthood, older adulthood, and aging with CHD. For many, this is both exciting and uncertain. Some of today’s older adults with CHD are among the first generations to reach life stages earlier generations rarely experienced, and questions related to aging, menopause, retirement, long-term outcomes, and future planning are still being actively understood. Financial planning concerns may also emerge, including challenges obtaining life insurance or long-term care insurance. At the same time, many older adults living with CHD possess extraordinary wisdom, perspective, and resilience. Our clinicians help individuals navigate the emotional aspects of aging with CHD while honoring both the uncertainties and the accomplishments that have shaped their journey.

Supporting Parents, Caregivers, and Families

Congenital heart disease affects far more than the individual living with the diagnosis. Parents, caregivers, siblings, grandparents, partners, and extended family members are often deeply impacted. Parents may carry memories of surgeries, hospitalizations, difficult decisions, and years spent advocating for their child — and even when a child is doing well, many continue to carry concerns about the future. Some struggle to balance protection and independence: How much support is enough? When should I step back? When should I step in? These questions rarely have simple answers. Siblings may have witnessed medical crises, adapted to changing family dynamics, or quietly navigated fears that received less attention than immediate medical needs. Family therapy can provide a space to strengthen communication, improve understanding, and help family members support one another more effectively. Our team understands that CHD impacts the entire family system, not just the individual diagnosis.

Supporting Healthcare Professionals and Others Who Care for the CHD Community

Congenital heart disease affects not only individuals and families, but also the healthcare professionals who dedicate their careers to serving this community. Physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, social workers, therapists, transplant coordinators, child life specialists, and others often build relationships that span years or even decades — witnessing milestones, surgeries, recoveries, setbacks, and major life transitions. Many describe thinking about patients long after the workday ends: wondering how someone is recovering, hoping a transplant becomes available in time, or replaying difficult conversations and uncertain outcomes. These experiences are not signs of weakness; they are reflections of deep compassion and investment. Over time, carrying these responsibilities can create emotional burdens that deserve attention. We provide therapy and consultation for healthcare professionals seeking a confidential space to process the unique emotional realities of working within congenital heart disease and other medically complex populations.

Our Clinical Approach

At Heart and Mind Counseling, we recognize that no two individuals affected by CHD have exactly the same needs. Because the needs of the CHD community are so diverse, our approach is intentionally flexible and individualized. Our clinicians utilize a variety of evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches, including:

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Brainspotting
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• Somatic and nervous system-based interventions
• Family Systems approaches
• Couples Counseling
• Grief and Bereavement Counseling
• Mindfulness-based approaches

Trauma work often begins long before discussing a specific traumatic event. Many individuals living with CHD have nervous systems that have spent years adapting to uncertainty, medical procedures, and chronic stress. Before deeper processing can occur, individuals may first need support helping their minds and bodies experience greater safety, regulation, and stability. Our clinicians meet people where they are rather than forcing them into an approach that does not fit their needs. For children and adolescents, we also utilize specialized telehealth platforms designed to support younger clients in engaging meaningfully in therapy, incorporating interactive play-based interventions and technology that allows for the delivery of visual, auditory, and tactile bilateral stimulation during trauma-focused work when appropriate.

Seeing the Whole Person

One of the most important principles guiding our work is the belief that congenital heart disease is never the entirety of a person’s story. While CHD may influence relationships, identity, education, employment, family planning, and future goals, every individual brings much more to therapy than a diagnosis — unique personalities, values, strengths, cultures, traditions, spiritual beliefs, family experiences, hopes, and life histories. Some individuals find strength through faith and spirituality; others through family, community, advocacy, education, service, or creativity. Some have experienced supportive healthcare relationships; others have felt dismissed, misunderstood, or unheard. Our clinicians strive to understand the whole person, recognizing that culture, family traditions, faith, identity, socioeconomic realities, and healthcare experiences all influence how people understand illness, seek help, and navigate challenges. This commitment allows us to provide care that is individualized, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and respectful of the unique circumstances that shape each person’s experience.

What We Believe About People Living with CHD

Over the years, one observation has remained remarkably consistent: people affected by congenital heart disease are often far stronger than the world realizes. Many are managing challenges that remain largely invisible while continuing to build careers, pursue education, nurture relationships, raise families, and contribute to their communities. The effort required to do these things is often unseen — the planning, recovery, energy management, resilience, and self-advocacy required simply to maintain daily responsibilities while living with a complex medical condition. We do not believe people with CHD are broken. We do not believe they should be defined by their diagnosis. We do believe they deserve to be understood, that their challenges deserve recognition, and that their strengths deserve recognition. And we believe therapy can help individuals, families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals navigate the realities of congenital heart disease while continuing to build lives that reflect their values, goals, relationships, and hopes for the future.

A Foundation Built Through Community, Scholarship, and Collaboration

The foundation of our congenital heart disease specialty has been shaped through years of involvement within the broader CHD community — informed not only by clinical practice, but also through academic scholarship, professional presentations, educational programming, advocacy, research, and ongoing engagement with individuals and families affected by CHD.

Our founder, Dr. Corinne Smorra, DSW, MSW, LCSW, completed her doctoral dissertation through Walden University examining social workers’ experiences providing interventions and support to individuals living with congenital heart disease. This work contributed to a deeper understanding of the psychosocial challenges experienced by the CHD community and the important role mental health professionals play in supporting individuals and families affected by CHD.

Over the years, Dr. Smorra’s involvement within the CHD community has included educational presentations, webinars, podcast appearances, published contributions, advocacy participation, and research initiatives. This work has included engagement with organizations and initiatives such as the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA), the Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation (OHHF), Conquering CHD, the Congenital Heart Initiative (CHI), the Lady Josephine Foundation, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Heart to Heart with Anna, The Transplant Helper, and other organizations serving congenital heart disease, transplant, and medically complex populations.

These experiences have provided opportunities to learn from patients, parents, caregivers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and advocates while contributing to ongoing conversations surrounding mental health, trauma, resilience, caregiving, relationships, quality of life, and lifelong adaptation to congenital heart disease. Through clinical practice, research, and ongoing engagement with the CHD community, we repeatedly encountered the profound impact that medical experiences, uncertainty, chronic stress, and repeated healthcare encounters can have on both the brain and nervous system. These observations contributed to our commitment to advanced training in trauma-informed and nervous system-focused approaches, including EMDR, Brainspotting, somatic interventions, and other evidence-informed modalities designed to support both emotional processing and nervous system regulation.

While we value evidence-based practice, we also recognize that the fields of trauma treatment, neuroscience, and mental health continue to evolve. Our clinicians remain committed to ongoing learning and thoughtful evaluation of emerging approaches — balancing scientific rigor with clinical curiosity so that we can provide care that is both grounded in research and responsive to the evolving needs of the congenital heart disease community.

If your specific condition isn’t named above, reach out — we likely either work with it regularly or have clinicians experienced in similar presentations.

Related Support at Heart and Mind Counseling

Congenital heart disease intersects with many areas of care. You may also find these related pages helpful:

• Chronic Disease Counseling
• Congenital Heart Disease Support Group for Parents
• Dating and Congenital Heart Disease Group
• Trauma Therapy / EMDR / CBT
• Brainspotting Therapy
• Somatic Therapy

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does telehealth therapy work?
A: Telehealth sessions happen over a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform — much like a regular therapy session, just from wherever you feel most comfortable. You’ll get a private link before each appointment, and most clients tell us they actually prefer it: no commute, more privacy, and easier scheduling around real life.

Q: Is therapy just as effective via telehealth as in person?
A: Yes. Research over the past decade has consistently shown that telehealth therapy is as effective as in-person care for most conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and complex trauma. For many people, it’s actually more sustainable long-term — easier to keep appointments, less disruption to daily life, and a sense of safety that comes from doing the work in your own space.

Q: Can EMDR and Brainspotting be done via telehealth, and is it as effective as in person?
A: Yes — and this surprises a lot of people. Both EMDR and Brainspotting have been studied and adapted for telehealth delivery, and outcomes are comparable to in-person sessions when delivered by a trained clinician. Trauma work is one of our practice’s deepest specializations — our team includes multiple clinicians trained in EMDR (led by a Certified EMDR practitioner), a Brainspotting-trained clinician, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and a clinician certified in Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), with somatic approaches integrated throughout our trauma work. This means we can match the right modality and clinician to what each person actually needs.

Q: Can congenital heart disease affect mental health?
A: Yes. Congenital heart disease can influence emotional well-being in many ways. Some individuals experience anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, medical PTSD, stress related to uncertainty, relationship challenges, or concerns about the future. Others may struggle with self-worth, identity, caregiving responsibilities, or the cumulative impact of living with a lifelong medical condition. We understand that mental health concerns related to CHD are often complex and may involve much more than the diagnosis itself.

Q: Is PTSD common in people living with congenital heart disease?
A: Many individuals living with CHD have experienced surgeries, procedures, hospitalizations, intensive care stays, medical emergencies, or prolonged periods of uncertainty. These experiences can sometimes contribute to symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress. PTSD may look different from person to person — some experience intrusive memories, hypervigilance, anxiety, avoidance, or sleep difficulties, while others experience chronic nervous system activation, emotional shutdown, or fears related to healthcare settings and future medical care.

Q: Can therapy help with medical trauma related to congenital heart disease?
A: Yes. Therapy can help individuals process difficult medical experiences, develop emotional regulation skills, strengthen self-advocacy, reduce distress, and improve overall quality of life. Our clinicians utilize evidence-informed approaches including EMDR, Brainspotting, trauma-focused therapies, somatic interventions, and other trauma-informed strategies when appropriate.

Q: How does congenital heart disease affect relationships?
A: Congenital heart disease can influence friendships, dating relationships, marriages, family relationships, caregiving roles, and communication patterns in many ways. Some individuals struggle with feeling misunderstood, navigating health-related decisions, balancing independence and support, or managing complicated relationship dynamics. Many people with CHD also develop strong and meaningful relationships both within and outside the congenital heart disease community.

Q: Can therapy help parents of children with congenital heart disease?
A: Absolutely. Parents often carry significant responsibilities related to medical appointments, advocacy, caregiving, decision-making, uncertainty, and emotional support, and many experience anxiety, grief, stress, or exhaustion. Therapy can provide a supportive space to process these experiences, strengthen coping skills, improve communication, and navigate the challenges that often accompany parenting a child with a complex medical condition.

Q: Can siblings be affected by a brother or sister’s congenital heart disease?
A: Yes. Siblings may experience worry, uncertainty, changes in family routines, shifts in parental attention, or concerns that are not always openly discussed. While every family is different, siblings often benefit from having a safe space to process their own experiences and emotions.

Q: What is the transition from pediatric to adult congenital heart care?
A: The transition from pediatric to adult congenital heart care involves much more than changing doctors. It often includes increased independence, self-advocacy, responsibility for healthcare decisions, insurance navigation, medication management, and communication with providers. For many young adults and families, this transition can feel both exciting and overwhelming.

Q: Can adults with congenital heart disease benefit from therapy even if they are medically stable?
A: Yes. Many individuals seek therapy during periods when they are medically stable. Mental health concerns are not always connected to a current medical crisis — people may seek support for relationships, work stress, parenting, grief, identity questions, life transitions, anxiety, trauma, or future planning. Therapy can help individuals build resilience and improve overall well-being regardless of their current health status.

Q: Do you work with transplant patients and families?
A: Yes. Our clinicians work with individuals and families navigating transplant evaluations, waiting periods, recovery, caregiver responsibilities, uncertainty, grief, trauma, and the many emotional challenges that can accompany the transplant journey.

Q: Do you offer therapy for healthcare professionals working with congenital heart disease patients?
A: Yes. Healthcare professionals often carry significant emotional responsibilities while supporting individuals and families through complex medical situations. We provide support for physicians, nurses, social workers, advanced practice providers, therapists, transplant coordinators, and other professionals working with medically complex populations.

Q: Do I need to live in a specific state to receive services?
A: Our clinicians are licensed across multiple states and continue to expand access to care. Because licensure requirements vary, we encourage individuals to contact our office to discuss current availability. If you do not see your state listed on our website, we still welcome you to reach out — additional states may become available as our practice continues to grow.

Q: How do I get started?
A: Getting started is simple. Contact Heart and Mind Counseling by phone, email, or through our website. Our Practice Manager, Deb Benoit, can answer questions, discuss available services, help verify eligibility, and connect you with the clinician who may be the best fit for your needs.

Getting Started

If you are looking for support for yourself, your child, your family, or a loved one affected by congenital heart disease, we invite you to reach out. Our team provides telehealth counseling across multiple states and works with children, adolescents, adults, parents, caregivers, couples, healthcare professionals, and families impacted by congenital heart disease and other medically complex conditions.

When you contact Heart and Mind Counseling, one of the first people you may speak with is our Practice Manager, Deb Benoit. Deb helps individuals and families navigate the intake process, answer questions, understand available services, and connect with the clinician who may be the best fit for their needs. You do not have to have everything figured out before reaching out, and you do not have to navigate this journey alone.

Whether you are living with congenital heart disease, parenting a child with CHD, supporting an adult child, navigating a transplant journey, caring for a loved one, working within the CHD healthcare community, adjusting to a new diagnosis, managing medical trauma, processing grief, or facing uncertainty about the future — you deserve support that recognizes both the challenges you face and the strengths you bring with you.

We have offices in:
Birmingham, Michigan
Clinton Township, Michigan
Mt. Clemens, Michigan

Telehealth Available in:
Alabama, Colorado, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Call: (904) 896-4998
Website: www.heartandmindcounseling.com