We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Pastore recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When I first started thinking about moving into my own practice I was working for a company as an outpatient mental health and drug and alcohol therapist. This company had helped me grow and obtain my licenses, but I had a desire to grow more and I felt I had reached the peak of my potential for growth within that company. I remember coming out of my chiropractor and looking across the parking lot to see another family therapist had an office there. I looked her up and contacted her on a whim. I just reached out to connect with her and see if she, by some slim chance, was looking for another therapist to share her office with. About 90% of me felt she wouldn’t reply, but she did AND she had office space available she had been looking to rent. I met her for breakfast and we connected well. She provided me guidance with opening my own practice and after some anxiety ridden contemplation I took the leap. I was terrified. I was engaged to be married, in my PhD program, I was about to have a major surgery and my partner has his own business so on top of everything else we would be completely on our own for any benefits. I consulted tirelessly with my fiancé, who never even hesitated to support me, and we made the jump easier knowing we had each other for support. I opened my practice July 25th, 2022. My case load grew fast and I had to navigate difficult roads of how to run a private practice, but I feel pretty competent at this point. I couldn’t be happier for the leap I made. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my fiancé, family, and office mate.

Nicole, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, my name is Nicole Pastore and I am the owner and therapist at Rooted Relational Counseling LLC in Bloomsburg, PA. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor. I primarily work with and am specialized in individuals and couples. I have my Bachelors in Psychology, Master’s in Psychological Services, Professional Diploma in Marriage and Family therapy, and am currently obtaining my PhD in couple’s therapy. I am highly trained to work with couples and have additional training in sex therapy. I work with couples and individuals on a variety of different mental health struggles. I also create content for and run our social media. @rootedrelational on Instagram and Rooted Relational Counseling on Facebook. The content on our social media site ranges from couple and individual mental health tips, tricks, and psychoeducation.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I always knew I wanted to do something in the psychology field and I am a hopeless romantic from way back. However, while getting my bachelors degree I became really sick and, for a little bit, I wasn’t sure if I would get to live out my dreams. I was hospitalized multiple times, had to see specialists frequently, was provided disability exceptions, and even had to leave finals to go to the emergency room. My doctors encouraged me to stop attending school and to focus on my health. I probably should have listened to them, but at the time I refused to stop my life in order to try to survive. I persevered, I lived, and I am now healthy with the job of my dreams.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Although I think my training and knowledge is invaluable I think it takes a certain type of personality to connect to others. I am really lucky to the fact that I genuinely like the majority of my clients. I can find the good in people fairly easily and I am able to use my ability to see their strengths to help them help themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rootedrelationalcounseling.com
• Instagram: @rootedrelational
• Facebook: Rooted Relational Counseling