About Nicole
Nicole Guessford is a licensed clinical social worker with 23 years of experience. She works with individuals coping with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and relationship concerns. She aims to meet people where they are and begin with straightforward conversation about what they want to change.
Nicole uses a structured, direct style that still emphasizes warmth and compassion. Sessions are collaborative and often include practical tools to try between meetings.
How Nicole works
She values self-care and self-compassion and commonly assigns brief exercises or reflection tasks to build new habits. Her approach blends several well-known methods such as cognitive behavioral techniques, acceptance and commitment ideas, and attachment-informed work. She tailors sessions to each person’s needs and adjusts strategies as progress is made.
The focus is on practical steps that can be used in everyday life. Nicole holds licenses as an LCSW in Pennsylvania and Virginia and has worked across a range of settings over her career. She conducts therapy by telehealth only, following the insurance and practice guidelines she follows.
For people wondering how to begin, she asks for a short matching questionnaire and then helps schedule sessions based on availability. Sessions follow a subscription model that can be canceled at any time and fees vary with location and therapist availability.
Nicole lists 12 ways of working on the entry:
- 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
What Nicole works with
The areas below are the ones Nicole selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating disorders
- Family problems
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Midlife crisis
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sleeping disorders
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 23 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Pennsylvania |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Approaches you can use in online sessions
Nicole commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people identify unhelpful thinking patterns and try different behaviors. CBT is practical and often focuses on small, testable changes that reduce anxiety, depression, or sleep and eating difficulties.She also draws on acceptance and commitment therapy, which helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to actions that reflect their values. ACT can be useful for stress, chronic pain, and coping with life changes. Attachment-based ideas are woven into her work to improve how people relate, communicate, and build emotional safety in close relationships.
Finding the most helpful approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with clients about goals and preferences and adapt methods as progress unfolds. That collaboration helps select whether to emphasize skill practice, values-driven work, or relational patterns.
Online therapy offers flexibility for busy schedules. Video calls are useful for face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can fit a lunch break or reduce bandwidth needs. Live chat and text-based messaging let people check in between sessions or use shorter, frequent touchpoints to reinforce skills.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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