Today we’d like to introduce you to Candis Ubiles.
Hi Candis, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve spent more than 20 years doing one thing in a lot of different places: helping people heal.
My path started in California, where I earned my Bachelor’s in Behavioral Science from Concordia University Irvine and my Master’s of Social Work from Loma Linda University. I cut my teeth in child welfare, the school system and community mental health, then moved to North Carolina, where I earned my LCSW in 2009. Those years taught me what I was good at, and just as importantly, what I wasn’t.
In 2013, I came full circle back to Pennsylvania. I’ve worked in county agencies, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and families’ living rooms through home-based services. In 2020 I became Director of Children’s Services at a community mental health agency, overseeing clinicians and multiple programs. That role showed me both the best of our field and its limits, which eventually led me to build Heritage of Hope Counseling.
Today, I see clients in Montgomeryville and online, and I supervise clinicians working toward their own licensure. That’s one of the most meaningful parts of my work. My calling hasn’t changed: to facilitate healing and restoration, one important life at a time. I believe everyone has value, even when anxiety, depression, or pain makes that hard to see.
Outside the office, my favorite role is being mom to my daughter, Ella. She recently graduated from high school and is starting her college journey at Penn State Abington before heading to main campus. Watching her step into this next chapter has been one of the great joys of my life. I’m also a long-distance runner chasing a goal of a marathon or further in all 50 states. I’m about 22 states in, with a marathon in Connecticut and another Massachusetts this fall as well as a 50k in Tennessee next March. Running is my therapy, and it’s taught me a lot about endurance that I bring back into the counseling room. I’m always reading several books at once, and my favorite place to recharge is the little fishing town of Southport, North Carolina, where Ella and I have spent many summers.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not always. The biggest barrier for me was managed care. Too often, treatment decisions were shaped by what insurance would approve rather than what the client needed. That frustration is ultimately what moved me from community mental health into private practice. Then came the growing pains of going from clinician to business owner and learning to wear every hat. Through it all, my faith has kept me grounded. Every obstacle has clarified why Heritage of Hope exists: to give people the time, care, and space they deserve to heal.
As you know, we’re big fans of Heritage of Hope Counseling Services. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Heritage of Hope Counseling Services is a private-pay, faith-integrated counseling practice located in Montgomeryville, PA, serving clients in person across Montgomery and Bucks Counties and online throughout Pennsylvania. Our mission is simple: to facilitate healing and restoration in this world, one important life at a time.
We work with adults, teens, children, couples, and families navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, and life transitions. We’re especially known for our Christian counseling for women, where faith and clinical care work together rather than being kept separate. For clients who want their faith to be part of their healing, that integration matters. For those who don’t, we meet them exactly where they are.
What sets us apart is our approach. We’re strengths-based and person-centered, which means we believe everyone already carries unique strengths that can guide their healing. We’re not here to “fix” people. We’re here to help them find their way back to who they are. Because we’re private pay, treatment is shaped by what each client needs, not by what an insurance company will approve. Clients get the time, attention, and pacing that real healing requires.
Our work is also grounded in specialized training in areas like Trauma-Focused CBT, ADHD, and the connection between nutrition and mental health to name a few. That training comes from more than two decades of experience in hospitals, community mental health, and outpatient care.
What I’m most proud of is the environment we’ve built: caring, compassionate, and confidential, where people feel truly heard. What I want readers to know is this: you don’t have to have it all figured out to reach out, and you shouldn’t have to carry it alone.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Family vacations at a family property in northern PA. We called it the “cottage” or the “lake” and we would go up with aunts and uncles and cousins, pitch tents, swim in the small private lake (my great great aunt Mabel owned the property), play games on the cottage porch and hunt for salamanders on the 1 mile lane leading back from the farmhouse to the hidden lake. It was rustic, no running water or electricity, but it was magical for us kids.
Pricing:
- $140-$210 depending on clinician and type
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heritageofhopecounseling.com
- Facebook: Heritage of Hope Counseling
