Nicole Nielsen, MS Ed Psy, MC, LAC

How I Approach Therapy:

Are you watching your teen struggle and wishing you knew how to reach them? Have you noticed your body holding onto stress long after the hard moment has passed, leaving you tense, restless, or unable to sleep?

You don't have to figure it out alone.

I'm Nicole, a Licensed Associate Counselor working with teens, adults, and couples both in office in North Central Phoenix and virtually throughout Arizona. My work centers on the relationships between us and within us, helping people move through anxiety, sleep struggles, trauma, parenting challenges, and life transitions with more clarity and compassion for themselves.

I spent over thirty years in education and psychology, first as a special education teacher, then as a school psychologist, before moving into counseling. Three decades in schools taught me that the way a person copes almost always makes sense once you see the whole system around them: their family, their school, their history, and what they've had to adapt to. That's why I treat the whole person, not just the symptom in front of me.

My work as a trauma-informed therapist is grounded in ACT, CBT, DBT skills, Solution-Focused Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples, Attachment Theory, somatic approaches, and polyvagal-informed regulation, as well as elements of IFS. Because stress and trauma live in the body as well as the mind, I help clients build tools to calm their nervous system alongside the deeper work of understanding their story. Together, with curiosity and compassion rather than judgment, we'll explore the pieces that make up who you are and build toward something more sustainable.

I help Teens (12+) and Adults who:

• Struggle with anxiety, whether it looks like constant worry, a racing mind, or tension they can't shake

• Are carrying the weight of past trauma

• Have trouble sleeping or feel stuck in restless, dysregulated patterns

• Notice the same dynamics showing up across different relationships

• Are navigating a life transition or a season of life that no longer fits who they're becoming

• Are running on empty and need space to recover

I help Couples and Parents who:

• Keep having the same argument, just with different details

• Want to rebuild trust or emotional safety after it's been shaken

• Are navigating a major transition together, including changes to family or parenting roles

• Struggle to feel connected amid the demands of daily life and parenting

• Want to strengthen communication and reconnect emotionally

• Are navigating challenges within a school system, such as 504 plans or IEPs

A Little About Me:

I'm a certified yoga teacher and practitioner, and I bring that same grounded, embodied approach into the therapy room as a somatic therapist.

I'm also a mom of three teenagers, so I understand the chaos, the struggle, and the unconditional love and patience it all requires.

Outside of sessions, I'm usually chasing waterfalls, flowing through a class at a yoga studio, cheering from the bleachers at one of my kids' games, or out on a trail with my dogs. I'm a lifelong learner, always building on what helps me understand people, and myself, a little better.