Vikki Higgins, LMFT

Hello, my name is Vikki. My middle name could be “resilience” or “never give up” because my life experience and ability to rebound are evident in my story. Life is not always easy, and sometimes we need more support than our friends and family can give us, especially when we are going through difficult transitions, relationship disappointments and when life surprises us with unexpected turns and sometimes trauma. When these things happen, we may need someone to walk with us gently looking at where this chapter or narrative came from, pulling or pushing us in a direction we don’t want to go.  It might even be a direction that could be helpful, but fear holds us back.  Therapy can support us in changing the narrative by sorting through the story and looking at our perspective a bit closer and that is where I come in. 

After raising a family and ending a family business, I wondered what I wanted to do. I worked in several jobs. One was a group home, as an aid, helping people with chronic mental illness to work through daily challenges and teaching some basic living skills. Another job was a with rescue mission supporting women and children in coming to terms with devastation in their family from addiction.  Even though I worked hard at both positions, I knew I needed more tools. Both of those jobs tugged at me to want to work in a helping profession and led me to a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy that supports a systemic view of life, that happens in relationship.

I received my Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family therapy from Evangelical Seminary, in Myerstown, PA in 2012, which is accredited by the American Association for Marriage and Family therapists. I am licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. (MF001185). When I finished school, I went to work for an agency that dealt with families in crisis. Using tools, I learned from a systems perspective and some advanced training in Eco-systemic structural therapy, I supported families while working for Wellspan, Philhaven’s, Family Based Services for eight years. I worked intensively as part of a team to help stabilize families with a child who was diagnosed with a severe emotional issue., working with the whole system. I collaborated with other players in the child’s system, school personal, other therapists, and psychiatry to support continuity of care for the child and family, working towards a discharge plan that would support them in moving forward when Family Based Services ended. 

I went back to school for my master’s, later in life, which may not have happened without caring professionals who were objective, honest and able to support my goals and dreams. Sometimes you may know you need help but don’t know where to start. You might be asking yourself if you are depressed, maybe anxious, worried about the future or the past or maybe asking yourself how do I move forward without a certain person in my life? How is it all connected?  Well, you don’t need a label for it, to work on it.  I have worked with families and individuals who were asking these same questions. As we sorted through the puzzle, they found more awareness of their own strength to use in walking a clearer path for their lives. 

We are not challenged only by the day-to-day stress in life but also with outdated tools and traumas we brought with us along the way. Family always means relationship and looking at not just how the family dance may impact the family that lives together, but an individual’s struggle as well. Even when you are working with an individual, you are working with their whole system which can be their relationship with a partner or spouse, family of origin, relationships with their children, and even the job they may do outside the home.   

Some people think it’s weak to ask for help and they wait until things get much worse before taking that step, but once they take it, they realize life can be easier when they are able to allow someone to hold space for them so they can talk about what is creating such stress in their life. Reaching out for help then becomes a strength that helps them grow in their thinking so they can move forward.