Behavioral Counseling Services

Testimonial

“Nicole's sessions were very supportive in helping to heal my relationship with food and with my body. Nicole's dedication to her clients really shows. Her professionalism, compassion and knowledge were also super supportive on my journey of intuitive eating. Nicole gives space for you to explore and seek your own answers, which I really loved. I am so happy I was able to work with Nicole. It was an eye-opening adventure, which helped to unlock so many doors for me and still serves on my path of self-love and self-care.”

-Former Client

What is Behavioral Counseling?

The number one reason that people seek out my services is because they’re feeling “stuck.” Feeling “stuck” in patterns of disordered eating. Feeling “stuck” in intrusive thought loops and ritualistic behaviors. Feeling “stuck” in making changes to improve their health and well-being.

I offer behavioral counseling services for individuals (ages 21and up). My specialties are:

Working with people who are stuck in disordered eating behaviors such as self-starvation, bingeing, purging, emotionally driven eating, night eating, and compulsive exercise.
Working with people who are ambivalent in their desire to continue eating disorder or mental health treatment (including people who have long-enduring eating disorders).
Working with people who could use additional support with behavioral repatterning in OCD/anxiety disorders.
Working with people who have long enduring body image concerns and want to change their relationship to their body.
Working with people who want to incorporate a whole-person approach to their health and well-being.

Behavioral counseling includes a variety of trauma-informed approaches and activities including:

Cognitive behavioral therapy/Acceptance and commitment therapy approaches
Intuitive eating approach
Motivational interviewing
Exposure and response prevention (to challenge fears and to reduce anxiety)
Embodiment/somatic practices (body-based nervous system work)
Harm reduction
Narratives (life histories, genealogical exploration)
Other approaches tailored to your needs

What do I need to know about behavioral counseling?

Behavioral counseling is a SLOW process and can bring up all sorts of emotions as you begin to explore what it is like to repattern long held and often, sacred, behaviors. I welcome all of you here, knowing that a part of you might be excited to begin and another part may be scared about what’s to come. I want to honor you so we will talk about your goals, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so we can work together to create a plan of action. I recognize that I talk about this stuff all the time so I’m very comfortable asking you questions about some difficult topics, but that for some people it may feel uncomfortable—and that’s okay.

Change and transitions can bring about a good deal of grief. It’s common (and expected) that there are starts & stops, ups & downs, and everything else in between! Behavioral patterns take time to emerge, and they take time to repattern. This work is deliberate, slow, and comprehensive to ensure that you have the proper space and time to grieve, experiment, reflect, and grow.

As your provider, I want you to know that I’m truly invested in your overall health & well-being and want you to receive the best possible care. This means that creating consistency with counseling appointments at the beginning is important. If you want to work with me, I will ask you to see me once a week for AT LEAST the first month. Weekly appointments are needed at first so we can get to know one another, I can do a full and thorough assessment of all your needs, and we can work together to create a plan of action for you. After that, we will work together to create an appointment schedule that will be best for you and remains consistent, so you get the most benefit from the process.

The first session is a consultation session which will last between 90-120 minutes. The reason that the consultation session is 90-120 minutes is to give us enough time to thoroughly talk about your history, needs, challenges, and goals, as well as to discuss your treatment plan and next steps. It’s incredibly difficult to do a comprehensive assessment in 60 minutes, and we also need some time to get to know one another! To learn more about what to expect during your first session, click here!

Follow-up sessions are 50-60 minutes.

How do I know if I need behavioral counseling or something else like psychotherapy?

Good question! Behavioral counseling is not the same as psychotherapy, although there is some overlap in the general approach and “feel” (e.g., therapeutic communication, addressing patterns of thinking, etc.). Behavioral counseling is narrowly focused on the change process and on repatterning thoughts/behaviors.

More often than not, clients come to see me after they’ve been in therapy for a while exploring the root causes of their psychological symptoms, traumatic experiences, childhood experiences, stressors, coping patterns, etc. My clients often seek out my services as an additional support in making specific changes and addressing specific behavioral patterns that emerge in the course of their therapy. I work closely with therapists, doctors, and other counselors (including dietitians) in order to help clients navigate specific areas where they feel stuck.

If you need help with things like stress, family issues, childhood trauma, relationship issues, etc., then a therapist or psychologist is the appropriate provider for you to see. Further, I do not prescribe medications of any kind. If you are in need of psychotropic medications, you need to seek out the assistance of a psychiatrist or your primary healthcare provider.

Appointment Fees (as of September 1, 2024):

Initial consultation fee session fee (90-120 minutes): $295.00

Follow-up session fee (50-60 minutes): $175.00

Services are offered in-person (Atlanta, GA) or virtual (video appointment) via Doxy.me, a secure and HIPAA-compliant network. My professional registered nursing license is multistate, allowing me to practice in more than 30 U.S. states. Please click this link in order to learn more about my multistate license.

For more questions, visit the frequently asked questions page: Frequently asked questions

The "No Surprises Act"

On January 1, 2022 a new federal law (the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021) went into effect to protect consumers with private insurance from surprise medical bills from most emergency services, non-emergent services from out-of-network providers, and other common surprise bills. If you are not using your health insurance to pay for services (aka self-pay), you are entitled to receive a "good faith estimate" of how much the services will cost you for the calendar year 2022. Below is a general "good faith estimate" for how much services will cost you in my practice for one calendar year. This estimate is based on weekly sessions for 52 weeks.

Good Faith Estimate for 1 year of Services (based on 52 weeks):

Initial Consultation: $295.00 x 1 session = $295.00

Follow-up session: $175.00 x 51 sessions = $8,670.00

Total for one year of services = $ 9,225.00

Important Appointment Policies:

Clients will be required to pay the full fee associated with the amount of time booked, even if the session ends early. Cancellation and rescheduling requires at least 48 hours notice. Cancellations made within 48 hours will result in a full fee charge for the service.

*There is a reduced fee option offered on a limited basis. Please inquire for more information.

If you’re ready to work with me, you can book your initial consultation session below!