We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicole Byrne a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

In 2020, I encountered challenges that changed me personally and professionally as a psychotherapist. I was new to Reno, NV and with very little community, I had my first baby boy during the COVID pandemic. In the thick of newborn life, my husband worked long hours and was gone the entire summer before my son turned one. I felt alone and the demands of motherhood drew me further away from myself.

As I moved through this rocky period, my motivation was low and I was burnt out. I slowly returned to my therapy practice and simultaneously began building community. I knew that life wouldn’t get easier, so it became important to find a better way through it.

I discovered the power of acceptance and values, not only in my life, but also in the lives of those I support in therapy. Grounded in the belief that we are not broken but in need of improved strategies to work through life’s challenges, through kindness, acceptance, and a commitment to growth, I help others find meaning.
In much the same way that I strive to support my clients, I clarified what kind of person I wanted to be and how I planned to treat myself and others. It’s useful to be curious about what we want our life to be about in order to uncover our values. Life is hard and values are the biggest motivator to endure hardship with integrity.

Today, my highest values of honesty, kindness, connection, and compassion act as my guiding compass, my accountability partners, and where I derive strength. I help my clients uncover their values to better determine how they spend their time and where they place their commitments and follow through. When faced with challenges, this helps them adopt a posture to life that feels like the best version of their self.

So much of therapy is centered around a reduction of symptoms like anxiety, depression, etc. While that can be helpful, I believe what defines my practice now is the intentional focus on noticing what people want more of and guiding them to take committed and values based action towards it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My curiosity to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist began when I started my individual therapy in high school and experienced growth and transformation. The combination of feeling understood and being challenged to reflect in unfamiliar ways was super valuable for me back then. The curious and raw interactions I felt in the therapy room carried into much of my personal relationships. I became the friend with whom people confided in. Meaningful and honest engagement became my passion – and it still is today!

Many of the integral skills to the clinical process (my intuition, empathy, and tracking ability) were developed long ago as a child in my nuclear family. The therapist part of me is active in all aspects of my life. Connection and relationship are two of my favorite things and it’s a privilege that people invite me to be uniquely curious, open up space for all their feelings, and guide them to live the life they want to live.

In my private practice, I predominately work with women who put the needs of others in front of their own and feel burnt out, resentful, and depleted. This often looks like dissatisfaction in relationships, work, and overall quality of life. My work is to help them discover more meaning in life, more connection in relationships, more trust in themselves, and more vitality and engagement in their careers and interests.

I also specialize in trauma therapy. I’m trained in evidenced based EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy and Flash Technique. These trauma-informed therapies are intensely healing and powerful, as the meaning of painful experiences can be transformed on an emotional level and my clients end up feeling empowered by the experience that once impeded them.

Recently my work has evolved to help moms with parent coaching. Before I formed my private practice, I spent 7 years collaborating with school districts to support the mental health needs of their students and families, providing family therapy, and case managing students that were scattered throughout the U.S. in residential treatment centers. I ended up co-leading an educationally related mental health services program and supervised several therapists in training. I carry that experience as well as my own journey as a mom into the ways I guide my clients today.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is to authentically align with what drew me to my profession in the first place – to help others! When my clients are enthusiastic about their growth and transformation, they often share their experience with others’ and in turn more clients are curious to work with me. But beyond client referrals, I care deeply about people and relationships, and in most interactions, it’s in my nature to be curious, empathetic, and caring. I make my best effort to adopt a posture to life that’s my best version of self, aligned with my values, solving problems and navigating the present. This “flow, can sometimes lead to spontaneous interactions that evolve to client interest and growth in my practice.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I was raised in a family of people that worked in various helping positions. I sometimes wonder what would be different if my upbringing had more exposure to and encouragement of topics like math and science. While I’ll never know what would change, I do know that I’m happy with my choice as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I feel privileged and elated that people invite me into their deepest, most intimate worlds. I am passionate about mental health and the work aligns with my core values. Right now I serve people individually; I hope to someday serve people in abundance!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://counselingwithnicole.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/counselingwithnicole/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CounselingwithNicole?mibextid=kFxxJD
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ nicole-byrne-a2822515
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXc9O62LFwemRIruPiewRYg

Image Credits

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