I'm a board certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I earned my MSW from University of Illinois and practiced in the clinical, workplace embedded, and deployed settings while on Active Duty Air Force for 16 years during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I have recent experience treating first responder and veteran traumatic stress, general life stressors/transitions, depression, anxiety and insomnia. I have worked in addictions and family maltreatment outpatient programs as well as in community education and outreach. I have experience prior to licensure as a domestic violence victim advocate and sexual assault survivor advocate in the the state of IL, and in working with adults with developmental delays in a residential setting.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
At our first session, we'll do introductions and talk about your current concerns. Together we'll explore contributing factors and identify relevant history and symptom picture. From there, we'll work together on a plan for treatment that fits you best.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Having worked with active duty military and their families has exposed me to people from all over the US and it's territories, 11 different duty assignments, many different types of industrial and office jobs, and mental health concerns. This kind of work has sometimes demanded me to get creative in collaborating and problem solving with clients in different settings and social circumstances for their best possible outcomes.
About Laura Nichols
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have found this method to be helpful primarily with difficulties adjusting to life stressors, depression and anxiety, most often in combination with a client-centered and strengths-based approach.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i)
This particular modality has been helpful for clients suffering insomnia once medical causes have been ruled out, and is very specific for directly addressing sleep problems. Sleep problems are so important to address directly as they are often a part of further mental health concerns or exacerbate on-going stress.
Cognitive Processing (CPT)
I have used this method and Prolonged Exposure therapies to treat clients presenting with overwhelming symptoms of post traumatic stress. I have seen multiple clients improve to return to more adaptive living and so that their intrusive symptoms no longer are so pervasive in their day to day lives.
Feminist
Feminism is the acknowledgment that all people should have equal rights in all aspects of life, which originates from the fact that women have historically been left out of this. For all clients, I keep an ear out for ways social inequities may have affected their lives and mental health. Sometimes there are ways to incorporate advocacy or social programming that can add to improvements in overall mental health.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
I practice mindfulness myself and find it helpful for grounding myself in the present. In practicing with clients, I've applied this type of treatment in groups and individually for depression and for PTSD. I have found that when clients incorporate the intentional practice of awareness into their lives, it then becomes easier to interrupt old thought patterns and habits, paving the way for new ways of living.