We all develop patterns that once helped us feel safe — but over time, they can leave us feeling stuck, reactive, or disconnected. These responses can show up in relationships, emotions, or the ways we try to manage what feels overwhelming.
Change begins when we can understand these patterns with compassion rather than judgment.
I work with adults, parents/caregivers, and families using a trauma-attuned, developmentally informed approach to make sense of behavior and emotion, ease reactivity, and build lasting capacity for connection and change.
Serving the Chicago-area | In-person & telehealth for Illinois residents
Insurance accepted
New clients: schedule a free consultation — Current clients: book your next session.
You might find yourself stuck in patterns of reacting, disconnecting, or holding everything together and feeling increasingly alone.
Individual therapy creates space to understand how your brain and body respond to stress, build flexibility in how you navigate emotions and relationships, and rebuild trust in your capacity for change.
Common focuses: Complex trauma, relationship patterns, nervous system regulation, chronic stress, life transitions, neurodivergent identity, grief and loss
Caring for a child with intense emotions and behaviors, or complex neurodevelopmental needs, can be isolating and overwhelming — especially when traditional approaches overlook how brains, bodies, and histories shape behavior.
Whether we work with you and your child together, or with you individually, therapy helps you understand what behavior is communicating, build co-regulation skills, and find steadiness - focusing less on "fixing behaviors" and more on brain-based needs and building capacity for connection.
Common focuses: Neurodivergence, FASD, developmental trauma, adoption/foster care, brain-based behavior challenges
New clients: schedule a free consultation.
Current clients: request your next appointment.
Chicago | jnikols@flowcounseling.net | 312.488.9049
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