ABOUT HEATHER
Therapy at the Threshold Between Psychology & Consciousness
I’m Heather Bair (they/them), a Colorado-licensed professional counselor (LPC) based in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the founder of Healing Bear Wellness. My work sits where modern psychology meets the mystery of human consciousness - a space where science, symbolism and the soul all have a voice.
For over a decade, I've supported clients in reclaiming authenticity, emotional balance and inner meaning. Today, my practice blends traditional therapy with exploration of altered states of consciousness, ketamine-assisted therapy, and dream and symbol work - always within ethical and legal frameworks.
Healing happens when the mind, body and spirit begin speaking the same language.
My Path
I'm a queer-identified psychotherapist, educator, and artist whose work is rooted in consciousness, integration, and relationship with the living world. I hold a Master’s degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Wilderness Therapy and have been in private practice since 2011 as the founder of Healing Bear Wellness. I bring a polycrisis lens to my clinical work, recognizing that distress rarely arises from a single source. Nervous system patterns, relational dynamics, systemic pressures, ecological realities, and existential questions often intersect. Rather than isolating symptoms, I attend to the full field of experience - helping clients cultivate steadiness and meaning within complexity. Alongside this depth-oriented perspective, I remain engaged with current research and evolving practices in psychotherapy, ensuring that my work is grounded in lived wisdom and informed by contemporary clinical understanding. Originally trained in printmaking and painting, I approach therapy with an artist’s attention to pattern, symbolism, and process. The landscapes and cultures of the Pacific Northwest, California, Louisiana, and Texas - a few of the places I have called home - have shaped my understanding of how environment, community, and history influence identity and resilience. My love of art in public places reflects a belief that healing, like art, belongs in community - visible, shared, and woven into everyday life. Outside the therapy room, I foster animals and share life with my partner and a lively pack of five rescue dogs - an ongoing lesson in patience, humor, boundaries, and the art of co-regulation. I also find deep joy in cooking and exploring culture through food, practices that nurture attentiveness, creativity, and connection. My clinical work blends depth-oriented psychotherapy, somatic awareness, and ecological perspective. I support clients navigating identity, trauma, chronic stress, expanded states of consciousness, and life transitions, with a focus on integration that is embodied, relational, and sustainable - work that is informed not only by clinical training, but by an ongoing relationship with land through camping, hiking, and foraging, where curiosity, reciprocity, and attunement are practiced.
How My Therapy Has Evolved
My early professional years focused on serving LGBTQIA+ children, teens and adults, helping people navigate identity, trauma and belonging. That experience taught me the power of presence - how simply being truly witnessed can begin to repair what once felt unrepairable.
Over time, I found that deeper healing often asked for something more than words - for an opening beyond ordinary awareness. That insight led me to study depth psychology, dreamwork and state-expanding therapies that bridge psychotherapy and consciousness exploration.
Today, I bring these threads together for clients who are called toward transformation, curiosity and wholeness.
My Philosophy as Facilitator
Altered states of consciousness - whether reached through ketamine, dreams, meditation or other methods - reveal the psyche’s innate intelligence. My role is not to lead you through experiences, but to hold the space that lets the mind’s own wisdom speak.
I’m not here to direct your journey; I’m here to help you listen to what it’s telling you.
My approach is shaped by three commitments:
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Presence. Grounded, steady attention that provides safety and containment.
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Trust in Inner Healing. Belief that every person carries an innate capacity to heal when given room to unfold.
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Integration. Translating expanded-state insights into sustainable growth. What you learn will become how you live.
My facilitator philosophy turns therapy into companionship with the psyche, not interpretation from above. Do you feel ready to get started? Get in touch today to schedule your free consultation.
What I Offer
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Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). I work in collaboration with licensed medical partners who manage all aspects of administration and medical care. My role is preparation, therapeutic presence during the session and post-session integration.
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Consciousness-Based Therapy. Exploring identity, emotion and soul through talk therapy, mindfulness and creative reflection.
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Dreamwork and Symbol Integration. Engaging imagery and archetype as pathways to meaning.
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Preparation and Integration for Altered States. For clients exploring expanded states of consciousness independently (such as through meditation, breathwork or privately-sourced psilocybin in legal environments), my support is psychological, reflective and non-facilitative.
What It's Like to Work With Me
Our work will likely feel steady, spacious, and attentive. I tend to move slowly enough to notice what is happening beneath the surface - in your body, in your language, and in the space between us. Rather than offering immediate solutions, I approach your experience with the belief that your nervous system and inner life carry their own intelligence. Our work is to listen closely and understand what your responses are trying to communicate. We track patterns gently and with curiosity. You can expect thoughtful questions, moments of quiet, and invitations to notice sensation as much as story. At times, exploration may also happen through creative expression - drawing, metaphor, image, or symbolic reflection - especially when words feel insufficient. Creative arts can offer another doorway into insight, allowing parts of experience to emerge in ways that feel less forced and more intuitive. I draw from depth-oriented psychotherapy, nervous system awareness, and ecological perspective, which means we may explore how your history, relationships, environment, and broader systems all intersect. Rarely is there a single cause - and rarely is there a single solution. Sessions are available in-office, outdoors, or via tele-health. For some clients, being on the land supports regulation and perspective. For others, the steadiness of an office or the accessibility of virtual sessions feels most supportive. We can choose what best aligns with your needs and season of life. I believe symptoms carry meaning. I believe resilience is often already present. I believe repair is part of relationship, and if something feels off between us, we can talk about it. Some clients appreciate that I can sit with intensity without rushing to fix it. Others value that I name patterns clearly and compassionately when they emerge. Many describe our work as grounding - a place to think, feel, and integrate without pressure to perform. If you are feeling drawn toward deeper exploration - toward understanding your inner landscape rather than overriding it - our work may resonate. Therapy here is not about becoming someone else. It is about becoming more fully yourself - with steadiness, discernment, and choice.
Safety & Ethics
I honor professionalism and integrity above all.
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I do not supply or administer psilocybin or any other controlled substances.
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All ketamine therapy is done with licensed medical collaboration under recognized ethical standards.
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My practice is trauma-informed and LGBTQIA+-affirming, and I welcome clients from all backgrounds and belief systems.
Transparency, consent and respect are the foundation for every step of the process.
My Training & Background
M.A. in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology - Naropa University, Boulder, CO
Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.) - State of Colorado
Training in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) - Naropa Center for Psychedelic Studies (2024)
Let’s Begin a Conversation
If you’re seeking therapy that honors both psychology and consciousness, I invite you to begin with a free 20-minute consultation. Together we’ll explore your goals and see what path feels right.