Treatment Philosophy

Kendall provides a dynamic, relationally focused, integrated approach to treatment. She believes that the duality that has historically existed in the substance abuse/addiction field and the broader mental health field impedes client outcomes. Kendall has a deep understanding and appreciation for the reality that addictive disorders do not occur, develop, or progress in a vacuum. In all cases, addictive disorders develop and progress in the scope of a broader biological, psychological, and social context. To effectively treat addiction it is critically necessary to be equally skilled at both the specialized evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use disorders/addiction, and the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of commonly co-occurring mental health conditions. Or, said differently, to be an effective specialist in addictions treatment, one must also be a skilled generalist.

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Kendall believes that the therapeutic relationship is central to change. She is well-known for the depth of knowledge and experience she possesses. She is also known for her unfailing passion, energy, and quick-wit, and for infusing disarming doses of levity into her interactions with clients.  She is especially talented at cultivating therapeutic rapport with resistant and ambivalent clients and anticipates resistance and ambivalence as normal components of any treatment process. Kendall is also a steadfast and outspoken advocate for her clients when necessary.

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Kendall’s extensive knowledge of attachment theory, family system's
theory, and the psychodynamic stages of change are foundational to her treatment philosophy. Additionally, Terence Gorski’s Developmental Model of Recovery and Relapse Model inform many of Kendall’s clinical interventions. 
 

Kendall utilizes relational approaches to therapy. She collaborates with her clients to assist them in developing a deep and meaningful understanding of conditions and circumstances that are creating distress. She helps her clients to gain insight into the function of substance abuse/addiction in their lives, to expand their ability to tolerate distress, and to gradually replace the function of addiction with skillful, adaptive means of coping. She emphasizes the development and ongoing cultivation of supportive, differentiated, interpersonal relationships to enhance prognosis for long-term recovery. 

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About Kendall Heiman

Kendall graduated from the University of Kansas Advanced Standing Master of Social Work Program in 2004. She also earned her bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Kansas in 2003. She is licensed by the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board in the State of Kansas as a Clinical Addictions Counselor (LCAC) and as a Specialist Clinical Social Worker (LSCSW).   

 

As a graduate student Kendall recognized the absence of addiction specific academic curriculum in her clinical track and subsequently initiated and developed an independent study to fill that void. During her independent study, Kendall completed extensive research and writing about the development and progression of substance use disorders, addictive processes, co-dependency, addicted family dynamics, and methods and strategies for treating addiction and for restructuring addicted family systems to promote recovery.

 

Kendall completed her master's level clinical practicum at the Recovery Center, a former addictions treatment program, at St. Francis Hospital in Topeka, Kansas. There she continued to develop her strong interest in working with children and families affected by substance abuse and other compulsive behaviors. 

 

After completing her master's program, Kendall was hired by St. Francis, and for the first 5 years or her career she led and continued to develop the family treatment program at the Recovery Center. She was also integral in cultivating a referral base for forensic substance abuse evaluations and for completing those types of evaluations. It was at the Recovery Center that Kendall first began to evaluate and treat impaired professionals.

 

In approximately 2008, the Recovery Center was closed as the result of hospital budget cuts and Kendall became the Program Director at Professional Treatment Services, an outpatient addictions treatment program in Lawrence, Kansas. In her capacity as Program Director, Kendall provided direct clinical services to individuals, couples, and families seeking treatment for substance use and co-occurring disorders. She also supervised and mentored other clinicians, developed an adolescent treatment program, continued to develop and conduct a forensic substance abuse evaluation practice, and continued to expand her practice of treating impaired professionals.   

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Through the accumulation of 10 years of experience in group practices, Kendall became increasingly aware of the largely unmet need for individualized, integrated approaches to treating addiction and other co-occurring mental health disorders. In 2012, Kendall left Professional Treatment Services to open her private practice, Paramount Recovery LLC, in downtown Lawrence, KS.

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Since 2012, Kendall has continued to concurrently develop both her integrated psychotherapy practice, including the treatment of impaired professionals, and her forensic evaluation practice. Her forensic evaluations are frequently used to inform character and fitness investigations, professional disciplinary matters, and the development of professional monitoring contracts. Her forensic evaluations are also used in the context of the criminal justice system typically during the sentencing phase of a defendant's legal proceedings. Additionally, Kendall provides clinical consultation, professional development services, and continuing education seminars.

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