Heather O’Donnell
Psychologist, Artist-Systemic Therapist (M.Sc. DGSF)
About me
I am an American psychologist and Artistic-Systemic Therapist based in Germany, specialising in the mental-health challenges of musicians and creative professionals. My therapeutic approach integrates Systemic Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), trauma-informed methods, mindfulness, and arts-based tools. I work with clients experiencing burnout, identity questions, chronic stress, career uncertainty, and the long-term effects of harmful training or workplace environments.
As founder of TGR The Green Room, I am engaged in building healthier cultural ecosystems, especially for at-risk artists including refugee and dissident artists. I also write and research on artistic resilience. My forthcoming book, Becoming Real, explores the psychological realities of creative life.
My style is reflective, collaborative, resource-oriented, and informed by deep knowledge of artistic sectors.
My background
I worked as a professional pianist until my mid-30s, in an environment where constant excellence is a prerequisite, instability is pervasive, and the line between all-in commitment and complete exhaustion can be dangerously thin.
My years in the music world – performing, recording, navigating funding structures, injuries, intensive training, and the realities of precarity – shaped my commitment to supporting artists’ mental health.
This experience led me to retrain as a psychologist (B.Sc./M.Sc.) and later as an Artistic-Systemic Therapist, with additional trainings in (Complex) Trauma, Mindfulness, and Narcissistic Abuse. I now work specifically with musicians and creative professionals because artists often work far harder than the public can possibly imagine, carrying tremendous psychological, emotional and physical loads, and have developed insight into how artistic identity, attachment patterns, perfectionism, and systemic pressures intersect.
Working with me
In our sessions, you can expect a calm, focused environment where we work collaboratively and at a sustainable pace. I blend structured elements – clear goals, psychoeducation, and practical strategies – with open, exploratory dialogue that allows deeper themes to surface. My practice is grounded in systemic therapy, ACT, trauma-informed approaches, and my long professional history in the arts.
Clients come to me with performance anxiety, burnout, identity challenges, injury-related crises, or major transitions. Together, we clarify what is happening, strengthen psychological flexibility, identify values and visions, and support both your artistic and personal wellbeing. At times this involves gentle, honest challenge; at others, steady containment.
Whether our work is short-term or open-ended, my aim is to create a thoughtful, emotionally honest space where you feel deeply heard, grounded, and better equipped for the realities of creative life.
Heather’s fees
A free, 30 minute consultation call.
Heather works with clients
on the following issues:
ADD / ADHDAbuseAddictionAlcoholismAngerAnxietyAttachmentBeing ‘Cancelled’BereavementC-PTSDCareer problems or transitionsChildless not by choiceCommunicationConflict managementCreative problemsCrisis managementDepressionDisabilityDrug or substance useEating problemsEnd of lifeFame and CelebrityFamily problemsGrief and lossGroomingGroup dynamicsHealth or IllnessIdentity or personaMeaning and purposeNarcissismNarcissistic AbuseNeurodiversityPerfectionismPerformance AnxietyPost-Traumatic StressPregnancy or infertilityRelationshipsSelf-esteemSeparation and DivorceSocial MediaStress and BurnoutSudden FameSuicidalityTeamworkTouringTrainingTraumaTrustWork-related issues
