10/15/2019
B O N U S S W A G
Nicole will be floating around the Market to meet our guests and you can get some of her awesome content related to parenting in your swag bags if you’re early enough!
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My name is Nicole. I am a mom to two amazing kids - a 4 year old daughter and a 14 month old son.
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Oak & Cedar Counselling Services has been a dream of mine long before it was ever a real possibility, and in some ways I feel like I have been preparing for it for over a decade.
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In 2007, I traveled to New York City to volunteer with several soup kitchens and shelters. My time there changed me in profound ways and upon my return, I immediately changed my undergraduate degree, knowing that I wanted to pursue Social Work. In 2008, this transformed into a desire to pursue Clinical Social Worker and become a Mental Health Clinician, in particular for Women, Children and Adolescents. This lead me to finish up my Masters Degree, focusing on Individual, Family and Group Therapy with a sub-speciality in Child & Adolescent Mental Health and Bereavement.
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During my Masters, my work focused on Inpatient and Outpatient Mental Heath and for several years after completing my Masters, my work involved supporting Children and Families who have experienced significant trauma. This work was enriching, but following another work trip, this time to Ghana where I provided Art Therapy to Children and Adolescents who had been rescued from slavery and trafficking, along with Mental Health Education to their caregivers, I knew that I wanted a deeper and more enriching style of practice. This led me to pursue training and professional education in holistic and alternative therapy approaches such as Mindfulness, Play, Art, Narrative and Drama. as well as certification in Restorative Justice.
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Until 2015, my work predominately focused on children ages 4+ and their Parents and Families; but, after years of infertility and dealing with a high risk pregnancy in 2015 and again in 2018, I came to the realization that the health care system does not provide women struggling to conceive or dealing with difficult prenatal journeys with adequate support for their emotional and spiritual needs. This led me to deepen my training once again, pursuing knowledge and education in Perinatal Mental Health and how to provide appropriate online therapy so I could also provide services for women on modified bedrest when/if the time came to open my own practice. I also pursued professional development in Women's Health, hoping to one day provide services that recognize and support the emotional and spiritual needs of women as they struggle to balance multiple roles and societal pressures.
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Oak and Cedar Counselling is now finally here and I couldn't feel more joy, gratitude and anticipation to see where this journey will go. It is a counselling company entrenched in evidence based practices, but it is also a place that can provide Faith-Based and Spiritual support as well. The name Oak and Cedar derives from this spiritual side, as biblically both of these trees hold profound meaning and significance. For my practice Oak Trees symbolize Strength, Knowledge and Wisdom and Cedars represent Endurance, Healing and Worthiness - all things I desire for my clients. Though I am only a part-time business at this time, I am 100% committed to providing anyone, regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, or need with a safe, nonjudgmental and compassionate space where they can Reclaim their Hope, Renew their Mind and Restore their Wellness.
