Heather Matson

MA, LMFT, ATR-BC, ATCS, PATP

Owner, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Board Certified Registered Art Therapist, Art Therapy Clinical Supervisor, Certified Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Provider.

Specialties

Person-centered, trauma-informed, strengths-based, and holistic, ensuring each individual's unique needs are met, utilizing a lens of human dignity and competency, honoring seasonal patterns, and integrating inner healing wisdom. Specialties include Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Provider, a Certified Anchored Relational Model Provider (formerly AIR Network), an Art Therapist, an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) specialist, a State Board-approved LMFT and LPCC Supervisor, an Art Therapy Supervisor, and an AAMFT Supervisor. In 2024, she began a two-year training program as a Holotropic Breathwork Facilitator.

Populations Served

Stage of life transitions, personal identity, LGBTQ+, existential fear, complex grief and loss, developmental Trauma, Trauma (relational, religious, physical, and sexual), complexities on the dissociative spectrum, moral injury, spiritual questioning or exploration, social and environmental anxieties, feelings of stuckness or hopelessness and psychedelic integration. In addition, students or professionals in the helping or first responder fields seeking mental health support or professional exploration of the professional self or supervision/consultation.

Locations

Saint Paul, Lowertown Office

Education, Trainings, Affiliations
  • Holotropic Breathwork Facilitator in training (currently through Grof Transpersonal Training)
  • Integrative Psychiatry Institute Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, 2023 cohort
  • Anchored Relational Model (formerly AIR Network) Certified Practitioner and Consultant.
  • El Duende Process Painting for Supervision Training
  • Positive Psychology in Art Therapy Supervision Training
  • Midwest Center for EMDR Training and Therapy
  • Integrative Mental Health Professional Training Course: Nutritional and Integrative Medicine for Mental Health Professionals
  • Member, American Art Therapy Association
  • Member, Minnesota Board of Marriage and Family Therapists
  • Professional Member and Supervisor, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
  • DBT Intensive trained (Behavioral Tech)
  • Master of Arts, Psychotherapy, emphasis Art Therapy, Adler Graduate School
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts, Minnesota State University, Moorhead, MN
Bio

Heather (she/her) is deeply connected to her Swedish and Minnesotan roots. She values curiosity, creativity, respect, kindness, and fairness. Heather understands the importance of honoring seasonal changes—both literal and metaphorical—acknowledging one’s heritage and ancestral wisdom, and being open to learning from the diverse experiences of others. In her therapy practice, she provides gentle guidance through a lens of human dignity, infused with a sense of spontaneous humor. She encourages clients to look beyond the obvious, fostering positive changes for the present and the future.

Heather’s personal journey has been shaped by a variety of life experiences, including grief, parenting a child who survived a life-threatening illness, navigating complex extended family dynamics, and living with Multiple Sclerosis. These experiences have profoundly influenced her understanding of the differences between thriving and merely surviving. She recognizes the importance of fostering a relationship and attuning to the rhythms of the natural world, as well as accepting the concept of impermanence. Through her journey, she has developed a deeper capacity for empathy. Heather has learned to honor each moment, understanding that even the most challenging emotions can lead to gifts of gratitude and resilience.

Art, personal identity, and social justice are central to Heather’s life and work. As a multimedia artist—working in painting, photography, poetry, puppetry, and more—she uses her art to explore the human experience through mythology, storytelling, and social issues. This artistic exploration informs her therapeutic approach.

Heather actively engages in social justice initiatives and participates in creative demonstration groups that use art, puppetry, and street theater to amplify community voices and address injustices. Additionally, she has harnessed her art for personal healing, self-publishing a photographic and creative writing essay titled “The Animal Spirit,” which delves into the shadow self and the concept of the golden shadow.

Her artistic accomplishments, including awards, residencies, and participation in various solo and group art shows, underscore her unique approach to community engagement and her ability to inspire others to use art as a means for healing and social change.

Heather’s therapeutic approach respects each client’s unique pace. She incorporates visual art, internal relational development, expanded awareness, and storytelling to access the unconscious mind and promote relational connectivity. This creative process helps clients voice, validate, and heal emotional pain while utilizing a universal language. Heather creates a safe space that serves as a container and witness to her clients’ life experiences, guiding them to connect with their inner healing wisdom, explore and honor their vulnerabilities and strengths, and believe in their capacity for social interest. This approach, firmly rooted in respect and creativity, is the cornerstone of Heather’s therapeutic practice.

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. -Pablo Picasso

Art by Heather