Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Depression
How Nicole works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- Pennsylvania, Virginia
- Years in practice
- 23
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Nicole
Nicole Guessford is a licensed clinical social worker with 23 years of experience. She works with people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, parenting strain, trauma, and anger. Her manner is direct and structured while remaining respectful and compassionate.
She often gives practical tasks to use between sessions to build skills and momentum. Nicole tailors conversations and plans to each person’s needs. She describes her approach as holistic, blending clear guidance with an emphasis on self-care and self-compassion.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on real-life tools that can help with day-to-day challenges like sleep, eating concerns, or intense emotions. Her background includes long-term clinical work across Pennsylvania and Virginia. That experience informs a range of techniques she uses, from cognitive strategies to emotion-focused work.
Nicole draws on methods that help people notice unhelpful patterns and try different responses. Clients can expect a collaborative process that balances practical skill-building with attention to difficult feelings. Homework assignments are common and designed to be doable between meetings.
The goal is steady progress rather than quick fixes. Telehealth is the format she uses for sessions due to insurance guidelines. People who prefer weekly or bi-weekly meetings can plan a schedule that fits their routine.
Nicole encourages anyone taking the step to reach out and start the matching process.
What Nicole works with
Everything Nicole lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Nicole's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Depression
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family problems
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Midlife crisis
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches Nicole lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How her approaches work in online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them. It focuses on identifying personal values and taking small actions that match those values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and teaches practical techniques to change unhelpful habits. CBT can help with anxiety, anger, sleep, and mood problems.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Nicole collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She will adjust plans over time as progress and challenges emerge so the approach stays useful and practical.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions are an option when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text-based messaging let people share updates between meetings or use a quieter format when speaking by voice is difficult. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and keep continuity when schedules change.
Questions people ask about Nicole
What types of concerns does she address?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, anger, trauma and family-related issues among other concerns listed.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is more structured and direct while remaining sensitive and compassionate. She often gives tasks to practice between sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 23 years of professional work experience in clinical settings across Pennsylvania and Virginia.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a licensed clinical social worker with LCSW credentials in Pennsylvania and Virginia and practices from Pennsylvania.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Sessions are provided via telehealth only, including video calls; she does not provide clinical support over the phone or by messaging.
How are costs and billing handled?
She works with insurance clients; session costs vary with location and insurance details, and services use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.