Most of us develop patterns that once helped us us get through something earlier in life. Over time, they can leave us feeling stuck, reactive, or disconnected. They tend to show up in relationships or the ways we try to manage what feels overwhelming.
Change usually starts when you can look at those patterns with compassion and curiosity instead of judgment.
I work with adults, parents and caregivers, and families using a trauma-attuned, developmentally informed approach to make sense of behavior and emotion, ease reactivity, and build more room for connection.
Serving the Chicago area | In-person & telehealth for clients located in Illinois.
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 is a place to understand how your brain and body respond to stress. We work with the parts of you that want different things and help old experiences lose some of their charge. Over time, you get more flexible in how you handle emotions and relationships, and you start trusting that change is possible.
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 exhausting. It's harder when traditional approaches don’t account for how brains, bodies, and history shape behavior.
Whether we work with you and your child together or with you on your own, we look at what behavior is communicating, build co-regulation, and help you feel steadier. We focus on your child's brain-based needs and your connection with them, not "fixing behaviors".
Common focuses: neurodivergent families, FASD and prenatal exposure, developmental trauma, brain-based behavior challenges, adoption and foster care, healthy boundaries, grief
New clients: schedule a free consultation.
Current clients: request your next appointment.
Chicago | jnikols@flowcounseling.net | 312.488.9049
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