Meet Nichole - Unity Youth & Family Services

Thanks for looking at my bio! My caseload is currently full, so new potential clients for me are being put on a waitlist.

Don’t want to wait? Feel free to contact another one of our qualified therapists to get started right away!

So you’ve made the decision to go to therapy, that’s freakin’ awesome!!

But do you find yourself wondering “now what?” I know I did when I first made the decision. Where do I start? How do I know if they are a good fit? Do they take my insurance? You go through FBI levels of investigation before you can find one you think will be a good fit. All of that before you even get to meet them!

It takes a lot of courage to take this step, and I would be honored to be a part of your journey!

Fast Facts

Before we take a deep dive into the life and times of Nichole, let me give you some fast facts that can help you make a quicker and easier decision.

What am I like?

Clients have appreciated my laid-back and approachable nature. I want you to experience therapy with me like you would if you were at a backyard BBQ, not a job interview.

Who do I like?

Clients and I will work the best together if they are motivated to change. They understand this process won’t be all rainbows and sunshine, and that it is going to take hard and consistent work to see change.

I enjoy working with a variety of individuals. I have experience working with the LGBTQIA2S+ community, those who have ADHD, anxiety, depression, traumatic experiences, and grief.

What do I offer?

I am LGBTQIA2S+ allied and a part of the body positive community. I also take pride in being as educated as possible on current cultural events. I want to create a space where everyone feels welcomed, safe, and supported.

Being the artistic lady I am, I like to incorporate expressive arts into my practice. Drawing, painting, collage, music, you name it!

So, who is Nichole?

Outside the office, I am a cat/dog mom to two adorable little fur babies. I mean, just look at them!

I enjoy playing the drums, crocheting, and pop-punk music.

I love being at home cuddled up on the couch, but sometimes you can spot me out in the wild when I emerge from my den, like the little gremlin I am.

What kind of therapist am I?

I create a safe, supportive, and affirming space where people are encouraged to be their authentic selves. When you walk into my office, I want you to feel like you can be vulnerable without fear of judgement. I am free-spirited, goofy, and enjoy finding the funny in life. I infuse this into my practice by using humor (even the dark kind), some NSFW language, and LOTS of The Office® quotes. I love creative expression with art and music, especially of the pop-punk variety. I try to bring my authentic self into session (after years of society telling me I have to be “professional” and have “etiquette”) …. gross. I encourage my clients to be able to bring their authentic, goofy, NSFW self to session.

I like to take a holistic approach to therapy, looking at an individual as a whole rather than the sum of their parts. This basically means I believe we cannot feel better if we only approach things from one direction. We are influenced by a variety of things throughout life; our environment, relationships, family, experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Because of this, I like to use an integrative approach. I use a variety of techniques to tailor sessions to your needs. I don’t stick exclusively to a single theory, but when looking at the big picture, I do like to look from an attachment perspective. That is just fancy words for the emotional connections we develop with people. These connections can have a major impact on us as we get older, especially if they are…messed up when we are young.

What you can plan on gaining from me:

You will get sessions that are unique to your individual needs, strengths, struggles, and goals. What else can you gain from me, you ask? Great question!

Gain new life tools, such as coping and emotion management skills
Better communication, boundaries, and relationships
Discover and modify unhelpful feelings and thinking patterns
Process and deal with loss or trauma
Deal with overthinking, because who doesn’t overthink right?!
Increase your ability to function in multiple areas of life
Make sense of the past in order to live more positively in the moment and moving forward

Working together, we will get you back to feeling whole again.

What makes me different?

Not only can I talk the talk, I can walk the walk! I have been where you are right now, trying to find the perfect stranger to show-and-tell the darkest parts of myself. I am not afraid to share my experiences with mental health struggles or my own journey through therapy.

I also have unique personal experiences of being neurodiverse. I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and have been peer reviewed as being on the spectrum.…talk about a plot twist! Being neurodiverse comes with individual and often misunderstood struggles. So being an ADHD therapist, I am not going to be the one to say, “You just need to be more organized, you should get a planner!” *EYE-ROLL*

As you can see, I offer a deeper understanding and connection to struggles my clients have.

My hero origin story

One dark and stormy night, a giant man broke down the door and said, “Yer a therapist Harry.”

Okay, that’s not exactly what happened. Let me fill you in.

Like many others, my history is a bit of a mixing pot. A pinch of depression, a sprinkle of bullying, a dash of intergenerational trauma, and a HEAPING scoop of anxiety. Ahh, *chefs kiss*. You may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with why you became a therapist? Good question! These experiences made it difficult to be vulnerable, and I felt as though I had to carry the weight of this alone. In those moments, I knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives so no one had to feel like I did, or at least wouldn’t feel it alone. One experience really solidified this, let me set the stage:

There I was, 17 years old from small-town Nebraska. I was a senior in high school and in the last few weeks of my EMT-B class. It was a cold January morning and our small town had just been blanketed with a heavy snow. I was driving to school, blaring my favorite band, then I saw it. A two-vehicle accident. I wasn’t expecting to see my close friend and her sister in the car, but there they were. PANIC. For a moment, I completely forgot every single thing I have ever learned, I was frozen….and I kinda felt like I was going to cry. My mind went blank. After the dial-up finally connected in my brain, my EMT training kicked in and I was able to assess the situation. I calmed her down, talked to her, reassured her that the best people in the town were taking care of her sister, and they were both safe.

After everything was settled, and my mind went from dial-up to high speed, I realized that is what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help people in their lowest moments, help them feel supported when they needed it the most, and give them a safe place to feel all the things they have carried alone.

Hey, look ma, I made it!

I have a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Nebraska Omaha…. in Omaha, Nebraska (I feel like that is redundant). I also have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a minor in Sociology, and a concentration in Mental Health from the University of Nebraska Omaha in…. well, I think you already got it.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Provider in Nebraska (LIMHP), license # 3927, and a National Certified Counselor (NCC).

I am trauma informed and trained in EMDR.

If you need any other information, please contact me. If you feel like I am just not your jam, take a peek at our other therapists in the clinic, they are all pretty cool too!

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