Specialties

Anxiety/Stress & Depression/Changes in Mood

Over the years I have developed a new relationship with anxiety, depression and shame.  It is one that no longer looks to control, stop and avoid these experiences at all costs.  It is a relationship with these parts of ourselves that relies on openness, radical acceptance, a little intention and a whole lot of self-compassion.

Feelings and experiences of anxiety, shame, hurt and deep sadness have been in my life, and in the lives of all the clients who come in to see me.  And while anxiety, pain and shame look differently in everyone, it can rock your world.

It can look like perfectionism, fear of disappointing people, fear of fitting in, being seen, making mistakes, loving something so much that it hurts in fear that something will go wrong. It’s struggling to say “no” or have clear boundaries to take care of yourself, overwhelming thoughts and worries that don’t stop. It’s physically feeling that you could explode, tightness and shortness of breath. It’s feeling like you’re never enough. Sometimes it comes alone but it often shows up with depression and addiction, disconnection from life or an intense and overwhelming drive to control the world around us. It’s hard.

And, somehow, in moments, it is also a gift.  It’s a strong feeling that often signals that something in life is not compatible with what you most want and need.

That something needs attention or a change.

I certainly don’t love the overwhelming, stuck feeling that anxiety or shame can create and yet I love the signals and messages that it can give us when we are living inconsistently with our values, goals and dreams.

Through awareness, acceptance and valued based living the impact of anxiety and depression lessons and we are able to live more rich, engaged and meaningful lives in our relationships, in work, and in play. My approach in therapy utilizes a mix of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Narrative and Systems theories, Attachment-Based Psychotherapy, and EMDR. I am also a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator and believe that Shame and building Shame resilience is essential for wholehearted living.

In our work together my goal is to help you better understand obstacles that get in your way including negative thought processes, depression, anxiety, stress, relationship problems, life changes through work, having children, marriage and relationship issues, etc to develop strategies to work through these obstacles in a healthy/wholehearted way. In the process I hope to help you focus on what matters to you, how you want to live your life and find ways to go about moving in that direction!

Trauma and Complex Trauma

Trauma means “wound, injury, or shock.” People will differ in what they find traumatic based on the event, the experience of that event and the effects of that event. In the past many people believed that only physical harm or danger caused trauma. However, we now know that emotionally stressful events can also cause trauma, particularly in the absence of caring supports.

Complex Trauma is defined as the exposure to multiple, often interrelated forms of traumatic experiences AND the difficulties that arise as a result of adapting to or surviving these experiences. These experiences often occur in early life and can disrupt aspects of the child’s development and the formation of a sense of self and healthy attachments. These experiences are often recurrent and/or afflicting generations of families.

Unresolved trauma, both single incident and complex trauma, can affect your mental and physical health and can have a range of symptoms including:

• Shock, denial, or disbelief

• Confusion, difficulty concentrating

• Anger, irritability, mood swings

• Anxiety and fear

• Guilt, shame, self-blame

• Withdrawing from others

• Feeling sad or hopeless

• Feeling disconnected or numb

• Insomnia or nightmares

• Fatigue

• Being startled easily

• Difficulty concentrating

• Racing heartbeat

• Edginess and agitation

• Aches and pains

• Muscle tension

Whatever the cause of your trauma, and whether it happened years ago or yesterday, working with a therapist can help you make healing changes to overcome the negative effects of trauma.

Phase of Life Changes

Work, parenting, marriage, and relationships are hard. There are ups and downs throughout all of these areas in our lives; It is simply unavoidable. Often clients come in saying “I think this must be what they mean by mid-life crisis”. But I believe it is more a reckoning with ourselves and a necessary one. Often we spend years doing what we thought we were supposed to. We find ourselves living out someone else’s expectations for us or following old patterns of behavior that may have worked for us in the past but no longer seem to fit for the life that we currently want. Therapy is a wonderful place to explore these issues with a safe and trusted person to begin to unravel the knot and build a life that more closely aligns with your values and what you hope for in the years to come.

Shame + Shame Resilience/Authenticity

Shame is a universal emotion that can have damaging effects on our life and emotional wellbeing if left unchecked. Researcher Brené Brown defines shame as ‘the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.’ Shame can arise from many different areas including age, gender, ethnicity, appearance, weight, parenthood, relationship status our mental health not living up to others’ expectations. Learning how shame is showing up in our lives and how it is affecting our ability to connect, love, parent, and live fully is a practice of building shame resilience and leaning into vulnerability and empathy.

Nickie is a Certified Daring Way Facilitator and uses the curriculum developed by Dr. Brown in individual and group sessions.

THE DARING WAY™ is a highly experiential methodology based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown. The method was designed for work with individuals, couples, families, work teams, and organizational leaders. It can be facilitated in clinical, educational, and professional settings. During the process, facilitators explore topics such as vulnerability, courage, shame, and worthiness. Participants are invited to examine the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that are holding them back and identify the new choices and practices that will move them toward more authentic and wholehearted living. The primary focus is on developing shame resilience skills and developing daily practices that transform the way we live, love, parent, and lead.

RISING STRONG™ The physics of vulnerability is simple: If we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall. Rising Strong is a book and curriculum about what it takes to get back up and how owning our stories of struggle gives us the power to write a daring new ending. Struggle can be our greatest call to courage and the clearest path to a wholehearted life. Here’s how Brené describes the progression of her work: The Gifts of Imperfection – Be you. Daring Greatly – Be all in. Rising Strong – Fall. Get up. Try again.

Perinatal Mood Disorders

No one ever tells you that becoming a Mom is this hard. And if they did it is hard to believe until you are there.

It is natural for women to experience changes in their feelings and mood during pregnancy and after birth. Commonly known as the “baby blues”, 80% of new Moms often describe feeling more tired, irritable, worried, and having moments of sad moods and periodic, unexplainable crying. The “baby blues” usually last for a couple of weeks and most often these symptoms lessen as hormones begin to balance out.

But did you know that 15%-20% of women have mood symptoms, including persistent sadness, helplessness, guilt, fatigue, intense anxiety, worry, and fear that persists long enough to require treatment by a health provider? In addition to perinatal mood disorders, many women experience trauma and loss during pregnancy and birth due to complicated births, infertility, and pregnancy loss.

You are not alone, it is treatable and with help, you will get well!

There are effective and well-researched treatment options to help you recover. Nickie has a certification in treating Perinatal Mood Disorders through Post Partum Support International and loves to work with new Mom’s and their partners.

EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders. Explore the EMDRIA website for more information about this method https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/

ART Accelerated Resolution Therapy

ART is an evidence based treatment that uses eye movements and visualizations to treat a variety of problems including depression, anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, PTSD, addictions, OCD and many other mental and physical conditions. Through this protocol,the brain, while focused on a problem and concurrently using eye movements, makes new connections with a persons strengths and problem solving abilities. At the completion of ART, evidence to date shows that the changes you make will be long-lasting and relief from symptoms can often come in a short amount of time, often in just one session.