Eugene, Oregon · Telehealth across Oregon
I help people who arestruggling and need someoneto walk with them whilethey figure life out.
I am Heather Swaney, MA, LPC, and Ubuntu Counseling is my practice. I see children, teens, adults, seniors, couples and families. Thirty years across schools, child welfare, residential care and disability advocacy.
- Licensed Professional Counselor
- Oregon LPC license C8649
- Accepting new clients
- Free 30-minute call
Eugene
in person, plus telehealth across Oregon
Thirty years
across schools, child welfare, residential care and disability advocacy
All ages
children, teens, adults and seniors
Weekends
weekend appointments available
Why Ubuntu
“I believe that everyone has a story and that each story is unique and beautiful, even the parts that hurt the most. Healing can happen, and that journey doesn't have to be walked alone.”
Ubuntu: I am because we are. Our humanity is tied to our relationships with others, to empathy, and to community.
How I Work
“My clients come in and they want to talk about the color pink. I'll talk about the color pink. All session. Maybe that conversation about the color pink opened a door to dealing with the trauma they had in their childhood.”
Nothing here runs to a schedule that isn't yours. Sessions can be talking, drawing, walking the same subject in circles, or sitting with something quietly until it's ready to be said out loud.
I draw on CBT, DBT, internal family systems, ACT, mindfulness-based and somatic work, alongside narrative, attachment-based, person-centered and trauma-focused approaches, chosen with you rather than applied from a manual. I don't get to choose what works. You do.
What I Help With
Areas of Focus
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Autism
Therapy that adjusts to how you think, communicate and regulate.
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ADHD
Practical structure, plus room for what carrying ADHD has cost you.
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Trauma and PTSD
Paced, body-aware work that never asks you to retell more than you choose.
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Anxiety
Turning the volume down without pretending the worry is silly.
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Grief and Loss
A place to keep talking about it long after other people stopped asking.
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Life Transitions
For the stretch between who you were and who you are becoming.
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LGBTQIA+ Affirming
Your identity is context here, not the presenting problem.
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Couples and Family
Slowing the argument down enough to hear what is underneath it.
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Consultation and Letters
Professional consultation and written documentation, billed at a flat rate.
How It Works
Three Unhurried Steps
- 01
Free 30-minute call
You say roughly what is going on. I say honestly whether I am the right person for it. No charge, nothing owed either way.
- 02
A first session
Mostly listening: what brought you in, what you have already tried, what you would like to be different. Nothing gets pried open on a schedule that isn't yours.
- 03
Ongoing work at your cadence
Weekly, every other week, or whatever your life allows. In person in Eugene or by telehealth anywhere in Oregon, including weekends.
Who I Help
Every Age, and the People Around Them
Some people come alone. Some bring a partner. Some parents come without their child in the room, which is often the most useful hour of the week.
Where
In the Room, or on the Screen
The Room
Where Sessions Happen
Sessions happen in a small, warm room with books, games and natural light. Children, teens and adults all use the same space.
Who You'd Be Talking To
Heather Swaney, MA, LPC
Thirty years across schools, child welfare, residential care and disability advocacy, which is why I am hard to shock and slow to judge.
For Parents
“Every behavior your child is showing you is an active communication. Their little bodies can't always have the words. So when they're behaving some way, they're telling you something. Now it's your turn to figure out what that is.”
I have been a behavioral interventionist, a child protection social worker, a school counselor and a foster parent. You are welcome in the work. Sometimes the most useful hour is the one without your child in the room.
Practical Details
Getting Started
Start with a free 30-minute call. If it feels like a fit, we'll schedule from there. If it doesn't, I'll try to point you somewhere better.
- 132 E Broadway Suite 303, Eugene, OR 97401
- In person in Eugene, telehealth anywhere in Oregon
- Weekend appointments available
- Private pay only, superbills provided for out-of-network reimbursement
- 24-hour cancellation policy. The full fee applies inside 24 hours.
Before You Call
Questions People Ask
Is the first call really free?
Yes. The first conversation is a free 30-minute call. It is there so you can hear how I work and I can hear what is going on, before either of us commits to anything.
Do you take insurance?
Ubuntu Counseling is private pay only. I do not bill insurance, and I provide superbills you can submit to your plan for out-of-network reimbursement. Whether a plan reimburses, and how much, is between you and your insurer.
In person or telehealth?
Both. In-person sessions are at 132 E Broadway Suite 303 in Eugene. Telehealth is available anywhere in Oregon. I am licensed in Oregon only, so I can work with you when you are located in Oregon.
Who do you see?
Children, teens, adults and seniors, plus couples and families. Some people come alone, some bring a partner, and some parents come without their child in the room.
What happens in a first session?
Mostly listening. I will ask what brought you in, what you have already tried, and what you would like to be different. Nothing gets pried open on a schedule that is not yours.
Ubuntu
Nobody Figures Life Out Entirely Alone
Start with the free 30-minute call, or reach me directly at (458) 215-1465.