Hi There! I'm Nicki and I'm so glad you're here.
You're not alone. Wherever we are in life – infant, child, teen, or adult – we all need to make sense of what is happening to us, inside us, and in our relationships. I help people make sense of those experiences, harness their resilience, take back their power, and find their way back to feeling whole.
I am a queer, non-monogamy affirming, kink-aware and culturally humble therapist. As a trauma specialist, member of the queer community, a woman with a large body and an attachment-based therapist, I believe we are all looking for connection, belonging, and acceptance. When you are in my space, you can expect to be accepted for exactly where you are on your journey, and for who you are in this world. I bring a combination of my lived experiences, humor and authenticity into the room to help you feel more comfortable doing the same.
"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
The name ‘My Healing Haven’ was chosen so everyone can make a place of healing that they can have ownership in, that’s just theirs. When you say the name of the practice, it automatically becomes your very own Healing Haven. In my long and non-linear journey to get to where I am as a therapist, I’ve found people heal most profoundly when they truly feel seen. Creative treatment methods allow me to see and join people on their healing journey in the ways that feel unique to just them.
I started my career doing intensive in-home work with families that needed help the most and wanted me there least. I got it. If anyone had come into my home when I was a kid, I wouldn’t have told them anything either. But their guardedness wasn’t about me, it was about mistrust, fear and a lot of pain. I hated those terms such as ‘non-compliant’ or ‘resistant’. Those words just told me I hadn’t found the right language for therapy yet. So I extended my repertoire. Nature therapy, artistic expression therapy, walk and talks, bringing new experiences to family interactions such as games and art. When a parent or kiddo would get upset and go out of their window of tolerating the experience, I was able to practice holding those emotions with them. I let them know that they could have all the feelings they needed to and I wasn’t going anywhere. They couldn’t scare me away (like they felt they had scared away so many before me).
Once families and kiddos learned that I was going to stick, that’s when they knew they could trust me with the most vulnerable parts. And that has been the most incredible honor of this career. When a client knows that they can leave their suit of armor at the door and be totally real, that becomes the haven for healing.
When I’m not trying to heal the world, one person at a time, I enjoy spending time with my pilot and rocket engineer partner and our vivacious 3 year old that constantly keeps me on my toes, makes me seriously belly laugh, and points out all the loop holes in my parenting style. This actually ties into how I work with families that are struggling. I am not the kind of therapist that believes I’m the expert that knows everything and will have the magic cure. I believe parents and caregivers are experts on their kids and I refer to them to collaborate in making the most effective treatment goals specifically unique to your kiddo and family.
Ready to get started? Have some more questions?