We are all physical, mental, emotional and spiritual beings. My focus for many years was more on the mental and emotional while touching on the spiritual. I have switched that around and the focus of counseling is now predominately spiritual, infused with aspects of traditional talk therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Positive Psychology and Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT).
We all have a sixth sense and some people are good at using it while others tend to ignore it for more concrete guidance from a physical resource. My counseling style helps people to lean into their intuition and develop their sixth sense.
The help that I give to my clients is influenced by my experience from working in mental health, but I also receive guidance through prayer and meditation, which helps me to connect to the nonphysical.
Intuitive means using the intuition, which is an automatic and immediate understanding of something that is independent from any rational or reasoning process. Information that is obtained intuitively is insightful, with a deeper understanding of why something has occurred. This helps give meaning to a situation that may be confusing and hard to comprehend or appear to be senseless.
Spiritual means that there is a non-physical or metaphysical facet to each of us. This is where our intuition comes from. It is what remains when we leave our body and this physical plane of existence.
Holistic means incorporating all aspects of what it means to be human: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. All of these components are connected and influence each other and are not looked at as separate. We are beings that think (mental), as well as feel (emotional); with a body (physical); and a soul, which is non-physical and everlasting (spiritual).
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a modified form of cognitive therapy that incorporates mindfulness practices that include present moment awareness, meditation, and breathing exercises. Using these tools, people learn to be in the here and now as well as how to break away from negative thought patterns that can cause a decline into a depressed or other mood-disordered state. This therapy can help a person fight off a difficult frame of mind before it takes hold.
MBCT was derived from the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor of medicine and creator of the mindfulness-based stress reduction technique, which is often used in meditation and yoga practices to reduce tension and control pain.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a traditional talk therapy counseling technique that helps clients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors. CBT is commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders, including phobias, addiction, depression and anxiety.
CBT is generally short-term and focused on helping clients deal with a very specific problem. During the course of treatment people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have negative influences on behavior. One of the greatest benefits of CBT is that it helps clients develop coping skills that can be useful both now and in the future.
Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) sometimes called “brief therapy,” focuses on what clients would like to achieve through counseling rather than on their troubles or mental health issues. The client is assisted with envisioning a desirable future, and helped to map out the small and large changes necessary for the client to undergo to achieve their vision.
SFBT is a short-term method of treatment that typically lasts between five and eight sessions and is ideal for those who want to be more self-reliant and confident in their ability to help themselves. SFBT guides each client to focus on their ability to find healthy and positive solutions to any of their problems. It is effective treatment for anxiety, depression, grief and loss as well as relationship issues. SFBT guides each client to be resourceful and to trust that they can figure anything out while transforming their relationship with their problems, focusing on the end result (solutions) and not what created the issue.
Mind/Body Psychology focuses on the connection between the mind and body, and how emotions affect physical health. The body responds to how one thinks, feels and acts. Extreme and long-term feelings of sadness, stress or anxiety can weaken the body’s immune system. The body produces physical signs of emotional distress: back pain, a stiff neck, headaches, fatigue, general aches and pains, constipation or diarrhea, high blood pressure are all possible signs that one’s emotional health is out of balance. By identifying, addressing, and changing unhealthy emotional patterns and negative belief systems and obtaining emotional balance, the body will respond and physical symptoms will disappear.
Positive Psychology helps to increase a person’s experience of positive emotions by helping with identifying and developing their strengths and unique talents, rather than focusing on their weaknesses. A major focus is enhancing a person’s goal-setting and goal striving abilities which builds a sense of hope. Other results of this treatment approach include: cultivating a sense of happiness and well-being; nurturing a sense of appreciation and gratitude; building and maintaining healthy, positive relationships with self and others; and shifting perspective in order to learn to savor every positive experience.
Benefits:
This mode of counseling would be a good fit for people who are in need of a deeper understanding or a broader more spiritual perspective of a specific situation or problem. Anyone in search of some life guidance and clarity regarding issues such as understanding their purpose or improving their relationship with themselves, God, or their higher power would find this approach helpful. Anyone experiencing relationship or career struggles, loss of job, life changes, loss of a loved one or whatever circumstances are creating uncertainty and confusion may benefit.
Areas of Counseling Specialty:
- Grief and Loss
- Stress and Anxiety
- Depression
Issues include, but not limited to:
- Life Cycle Transitions/Adjustment Issues
- Chronic Pain or Illness
- Coping Skills
- Anger Problems
- Spirituality or Deepening a Spiritual Connection
- Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
- Sleep Disturbances or Insomnia
- Emotional Instability
- Substance Abuse
- Work Related Issues
Counseling Success Stories (These results are typical)
“Nichole, I did it. I got the lab draw completed without delay or totally freaking out! Thank you for being such an incredible person and therapist. You’ve helped me through so much: pain, grief, acceptance and that dreadful fear of needles. I really cannot thank you enough. Thank you for giving me the tools needed throughout all of my trials and tribulations. Thanks again!!!” – Adriene
“I was feeling deep grief and depression. I hit a wall and could not move forward. I had turned to friends and family, prescription drugs to cope and help me with my declining mental status, this all helped somewhat, but fell short of solving my problems. I needed more help and a friend referred me to Nichole for counseling. Now I am feeling stronger and healthier, and my confidence is returning. I understand my own limitations, and how to deal with it. Finally I see a path ahead that will take me where I want to be. This was impossible a month ago, now it’s reality. I have already recommended others to Nichole.” – J.B.
“All I can say is this: I’ve been waiting for someone like her and I know that she is already helping me even after the first session. Afterwards some things came to surface giving me the ability to see what it is that I need to do. She has a very strong connection to the spirit world and it makes me feel good that I’m not alone. Her cognitive therapy is superb. I have been to a lot of therapists around here in my lifetime and she is amazing!” – Kimmie R
“Before I started working with Nichole, I was experiencing panic/anxiety attacks, and frequent feelings of extreme uneasiness. I was having trouble traveling and feeling safe and in control. Many times I found myself fearing being alone, feeling like there was nobody there to help me. Now I feel that I have gained control of my anxiety. I feel more confident being on my own, knowing I can handle the situation. I trust myself and know that I am in control. These sessions have really helped reshape my mind and my thinking.” –Brendan B.
“Just a few months ago every aspect of my life started to fall apart all at once. I sought help from traditional mental health venues, but they wouldn’t listen to me when I said I didn’t want to take medication. However I gave in and took the medicines they prescribed, but after discontinuing them due to severe adverse side effects, I was still told I wouldn’t get better if I didn’t take them. I wondered how taking medicine was supposed to help me with my relationships, my job and everything else that wasn’t going right. I might feel less depressed, but my situation was not magically cured or actually going to get better, right?
After my second visit with Nichole, I stopped crying all the time. She’s helped me deal with my stressful job better, sleep more soundly, become more organized and effective at whatever I try to do, and also build healthier relationships with my husband and family. Thanks to Nichole’s help everything stopped falling apart and I didn’t need to take medicine for that change to happen!” – Melissa W.
“Not sure where to start, so a little background I am a 60 year old male that had my first bout with depression. Never been depressed or had any type of emotional problems in the past but I realized I needed help now. I did a search on the internet and read about Nichole’s training and experience and thought maybe she could help me thru this depression. I can’t tell you in words how much my life has changed for the positive after seeing Nichole, in a very short period of time, 5-6 sessions. I have come to understand I did in fact have emotional issues I had been carrying around for years and didn’t even realize it. Nichole was able to systematically sort out the issues and help me put them behind me for good. Now for the first time I do truly feel good about myself, you see we found out I didn’t like myself for a lot of different reasons. I am not done, I have a ways to go to achieve what I am after but I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Thank You Nichole!” -JS
“I want to say thank you for all the help you have provided me. When I first came to you my problems were numerous, some I weren’t aware of and some I didn’t even have a frame of reference to understand. My wife at the time was making plans to leave me. She eventually did leave me, taking nothing with her that would remind her of me or our 20 years of marriage. My wife was sure I wouldn’t get unsupervised visits with our kids. My oldest child had in not so many words said that I was not a father anymore and never wanted to see me again and didn’t want to be in the same town as me. My middle child was hardly talking to me and didn’t relate to me as a father. My youngest was the only one who had much to do with me.
I was desperate and contemplating my demise as a way out of my misery. Among the things I wasn’t aware of, I had little or no identity and I didn’t love myself. It didn’t seem like professionals could or would help me. A previous counselor had pushed for divorce and said he didn’t think I could change, that I was a liar and manipulator. He didn’t know of a counselor that would work with me. A marriage counselor said that she couldn’t help me; she said my wife insisted on speaking for me. Another counselor said I was both controlled and controlling. I had received many diagnoses that I had heard both directly and indirectly: Asperger syndrome, narcissistic personality disorder, socially unacceptable, sociopath and the list goes on and on. I interacted with people on a very basic and superficial level. I had lost everything that mattered to me and failed at everything that mattered to me: being a good father and husband.
Chance brought me to you, at the time I was hoping that being hypnotized would help me to change. Because of your qualities as a person and a counselor I was able to open up, to trust, to have faith in you, and to see that there is a better way of looking at the world and the people in it. I tried new types treatments (Reiki); I began to discover my identity, to be accepting of myself and be happy with myself.
Over time I made more progress than I thought possible. My wife and I are separated, but she now says that she admires me, respects me, looks forward to me coming over and having dinner with the kids. She says I have made more progress than she ever thought possible. My oldest child will call me occasionally from college; invites me to activities at school; gives me hugs; shows me the dorm; talks to me, and introduces me as “My Dad”. My middle child talks to me about everything now, both trivial and personal things. My middle child responds favorably when I say “I love you”. We are very close now, it’s wonderful! My youngest child is about the same, and I have hope that we will draw closer as time goes on. My relationships with my co-workers is also better, they seem surprised and delighted. People at work that I didn’t get along with before, I do now or at least much better.
I think that the money I have put into my mental health has been worth it. People spend a lot of money on material things, cars and houses; why not on something that can have so many positive impacts on your life. Nichole, you have brought so much hope, happiness and growth to my life, more than I ever could’ve imagined. You are such a great counselor. Thank you! Please share this with others. Maybe it will encourage someone to get help who thinks that they are a lost cause, like I once thought.” -Anonymous