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Nora Heins-Murray
About
Hello! I'm so glad you're here. Ny name is Nora and I am a clinical psychologist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I believe that everyone deserves access to the tools and information they need in order to thrive and live their best life. I believe that each person I work with is an expert in their own experience and that my role as a psychologist is to use my knowledge and skill to facilitate their growth in whatever way they choose. My work is collaborative, warm, and often infused with humor. I don't take myself to seriously but I do believe in the seriousness of thorough and in-depth assessment, as well as its power to lead to positive change.
My interest in working with neurodivergent clients stems mostly from experiences in my own life, both as a parent and as someone who speak from the "I" perspective about neurodivergence. As someone who hid their neurodivergence through college and graduate school for fear of limited opportunity or reprisal, I understand how much harm can come from a lifetime of masking. When I became a parent to multiple neurodivergent children my perspective changed significantly; I couldn't possibly ask my children to limit themselves the way I did. In the process I became a de-facto disability rights advocate. I work my hardest to ensure that my children are seen accurately, celebrated for their authenticity, and treated with dignity and respect, regardless of setting. Bringing that same perspective to my clinical work felt like a natural next step. Now I use my clinical skills and expertise to push back against the systemic harm that has been done to my community and hopefully contribute to both collective and individual healing.
In my assessment work I believe in using the assessment process itself to begin healing from previous harmful experiences. By collaboratively identifying and discussing a conceptualization of what you are experiencing, we will begin to make sense of old wounds and clarify the path to relief, support, and needed accommodations in your everyday life that will allow you to thrive as your full self. In addition to being a neurodiversity-affirming practitioner, I am also LGBTQ, poly, and kink affirming.
