HALEY WHEELER, LCSW, LISW, LICSW | THERAPIST | REFRAME YOU
Hi, I’m Haley.
Therapy should feel like a real conversation.
I’ve been working in mental health for more than 20 years, and one thing I’ve learned is that people rarely come to therapy because they simply need someone to tell them what to do.
Usually, something isn’t working anymore. You may understand the problem and still find yourself repeating the same patterns. You may be overwhelmed, anxious, distracted, disconnected, or simply tired of feeling stuck.
My job is to help you make sense of what’s happening, understand the patterns underneath it, and figure out what can actually change.
I’m warm and supportive, but I’m also direct. I’m not a therapist who will sit quietly and nod for 45 minutes. I’ll ask questions, notice patterns, offer another perspective, and sometimes challenge you to look at something differently.
I also believe therapy should be useful outside of the hour we spend together. We may talk about something to practice between sessions, a conversation you need to have, a boundary you want to set, or a different way of responding when an old pattern shows up.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you come in. That’s part of the work we do together.
EXPERIENCE & LICENSURE
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years of experience working with adults. Experience helps me recognize patterns and know what questions to ask, but I never want experience to become assumption. You’re the expert on what it’s like to be you.
ONLINE THERAPY IN
California · Arizona · Texas · Utah · Indiana · Ohio · Virginia · Maryland · Florida · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Maine
I didn’t become a therapist because I think people need to be fixed.
One thing this work has taught me is that people are complicated. We can know exactly what we should do and still find ourselves repeating the same patterns.
That’s part of what I love about this work. I’m genuinely curious about people—how you got here, what shaped you, what keeps getting in your way, and what makes you feel most like yourself.
I don’t believe the goal of therapy is to turn you into a different person. It’s to help you understand yourself well enough to decide what you want to change, what you want to let go of, and what you want more of in your life.
And I believe therapy should be about more than coping. Anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, motherhood, relationships, and simply getting through life can slowly crowd out the things that once made you feel like yourself.
Sometimes progress looks like setting a boundary or quieting an anxious thought. And sometimes it looks like picking up the paintbrush again, getting back under a barbell, singing, making music, creating something—or realizing you actually feel excited about your life again.
Here’s what you can expect from me as your therapist:
DIRECT — I won’t just sit quietly and nod. I’ll ask questions, point out patterns, and challenge you when I think you’re capable of more. If I notice you getting in your own way, I’m probably going to say something.
CURIOUS — I want to understand your story, not fit you into a diagnosis or assume I know you because I've worked with someone who had similar symptoms.
PRACTICAL — Insight is important. But we also have to figure out what you're going to do with it when you leave our session and go back to your actual life.
REAL — Therapy with me feels like a conversation. There can be difficult moments, but there can also be humor, celebration, frustration, and the occasional “Okay, you got me.”
ENCOURAGING — I will absolutely be your cheerleader. I want you to notice your progress, build on your strengths, and make more room for the things that bring you joy.
NONJUDGMENTAL — There are very few things that shock me. Sex, intimacy, kink, polyamory, relationships, shame, or something you’ve never said out loud—we can talk about it.
A little about me
There’s more to me than the letters after my name.
Outside of therapy, I’m happily married, have a son, and share my home with three dogs who are very much part of the family. I’m originally from California and now live in Ohio — and, surprisingly to some of my California friends, I love it here. I still get excited when I look outside and see snow falling.
Music is a huge part of my life. I sing with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, I’m learning piano, and I absolutely love classical music. I also love art, drawing, painting, crochet, comics, ballet, working out and lifting weights. I can happily disappear into a project for hours, so I know a little something about living in hyperfocus mode.
I love watching anime with my son, spending time with my husband and our dogs, and finding those small things that make everyday life feel good. And if you really want to know me: give me birthday cake and black coffee, and I’m happy.
I share these things because I believe the parts of our lives that bring us joy matter. Our interests, creativity, relationships, movement, music, hobbies, and the things that make us feel most like ourselves aren’t extras. They’re part of who we are — and sometimes therapy is about finding our way back to them.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Think we might be a good fit?
You don’t have to know exactly what you want to work on before reaching out. If something isn’t working, you’re feeling stuck, or you simply know you’re ready for something to be different, we can start there.