Nicole Guessford

Nicole Guessford is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 23 years of experience. She supports people facing stress, anxiety, depression, career concerns, grief, and trauma. Her style is direct and structured, and she often gives practical tasks to work on between sessions.

Nicole works with concerns that include parenting strain, relationship and intimacy issues, sleep and eating struggles, anger, self-esteem, and compassion fatigue. She also helps people dealing with chronic illness or pain, caregiver stress, attachment questions, post-traumatic stress, and life transitions. Her approach aims to match each person’s needs and goals.

She blends several therapeutic approaches to fit the situation. Nicole uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to focus on values and meaningful action. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to examine patterns of thought and behavior, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for emotion regulation when needed. Attachment-based and client-centered ideas shape how she builds trust and listens.

Nicole offers only telehealth sessions because of insurance regulations. Sessions are offered weekly or bi-weekly and do not include phone or messaging clinical support. She treats people with respect and sensitivity, and encourages self-care and self-compassion as part of treatment.

To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions according to the therapist’s availability. The subscription used for sessions can be canceled at any time.

How these approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and take actionable steps toward what matters most. It’s useful for stress, anxiety, life changes, and career-related decisions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and changing behavior patterns, which can help with depression, anxiety, eating and sleep problems. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) adds skills for managing intense emotions and improving distress tolerance when overwhelming feelings arise.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, preferences, and life situation. This means plans can shift over time as needs change and progress is reviewed.

Nicole provides telehealth sessions only due to insurance regulations. If you are considering online therapy, ask about the specific telehealth options before booking to confirm session length and scheduling. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow for consistent weekly or bi-weekly check-ins. Because she gives practical homework, telehealth visits make it simple to review real-life practice and adjust tools between meetings.