Counseling

Spiritual Counseling

We are all physical, mental, emotional and spiritual beings. My focus for nearly 20 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 predominantly 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). Learn more about these traditional talk therapies.

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 information and guidance 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.

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).

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.

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.

Format of Each Session

Before each session it is ideal to have up to three questions or identified issues.  The questions/issues are then addressed one at a time within a context of spiritual and intuitive guidance along with the intention of gaining a broader perspective of the issues.  A resolution or clarity regarding each situation is the final outcome of each session.

Personal Beliefs

This type of counseling is most ideal for individuals who believe in a higher power, a creator or some type of deity or God. A person can be Christian,  Muslim,  Jewish, Hindu, Pagan or any other religion or refer to themselves as spiritual but not religious, as long as there is a belief in a non-physical aspect of our being that exists beyond what we can easily see, touch or hear.

Counseling Success Stories

“I was feeling deep grief. 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 its reality. I have already recommended others to Nichole.”

– J.B.

“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.

“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

– Kimmie R