Nikki believes that social work practice, in general, is the application of ethical ideas.  Nikki's doctoral dissertation focused on social work ethics and she considers all good clinical practice to be ethical practice.  "It is impossible to separate ethics, values and clinical counseling/therapy.  Every clinical intervention we make, every word that we speak to a client/patient relates to values and ethics."

Nikki uses an integrated approach to therapy that is influenced by Freud, Jung, Carl Rogers, existential therapy, and the cognitive behavioral therapists.  She has been trained in Minuchin Structural Family Therapy.  Where appropriate, she employs a psychodynamic approach to individual counseling.

Nikki typically helps people with situational, motivational, psychodynamic, emotional, behavioral, existential or philosophical, and cognitive issues -- self-esteem, perspective and attitude.

"Overall, I believe in the incantatory power of words. Words bring catharsis and help us shape and recognize our needs, desires, meanings and intentions. In the presence of another, a trained other, who can validate, give reflective feedback and identify patterns, we can change things we want to change, realize what we want to keep or achieve, recognize what is meaningful to us, and accept what has been, what is, and what may be."

Nikki explores some of these issues in greater detail on her website, http://nelsonworks.net

Nikki accepts Aetna, Blue Cross/BlueShield, CIGNA, and Medicare.