Heather Nichols

I believe an empathetic non-judgmental environment is essential in therapy. It takes a lot of courage to reach out for help; it’s important to me to provide a space where you feel safe. The world benefits from all minds; in addition to my goals for helping people with depression, anxiety, and trauma, I assist neurodivergent folks who are operating in systems designed for the neurotypical. Extensive training, resources, and being neurodivergent myself allows me to offer an identity-affirming compassionate space where you can learn to build shame resilience, social skills, how to cope with “overwhelm”, and recognize your strengths. I work outside the medical framework, explore how it is for you in the world, and recognize and empower you so you may experience a full and rewarding life. Often depression and anxiety are a response to the daily life of the neurodivergent. I want to help you understand and express those emotions in new ways to decrease the symptoms you are experiencing and increase functioning in your life. I am equally versed in talk and art therapy. As a registered art therapist, I believe that self-expression is necessary for emotional health, and art therapy can help people express themselves when words fail. No prior art experience is necessary to tap into areas of the brain that promote creative thinking and problem-solving. I know that art therapy through telehealth may seem daunting, but I have been able to make successful adjustments. My work is integrative and is informed by therapeutic approaches such as mindfulness, acceptance, solution-focused brief therapy, feminist, existential, humanistic, Adlerian, art, and narrative, but not limited to these frameworks.