LOCATION: Greenfield Crescent, Patcham, Brighton & online
AVAILABILITY: Monday - Thursday, 8am - 7pm (until 3pm in-person, after 3pm online)
PRICE: £70 per session
SPECIALISMS:
Anxiety & Depression
ADHD
Relationship issues - including narcissism
Co-dependency
Trauma (adult & childhood)
Childhood issues (inner child work, trauma, attachment)
Bereavement and loss
Compulsive behaviours and addictions
Self esteem
CBT
Work related issues, including stress

Training

Nicola’s career began in 1996 in social care, working as a residential social worker in a children’s home with children aged 5–12 who had experienced abuse and neglect. This early experience shaped her understanding of how relationships and early experiences influence emotional wellbeing. She went on to work in a family centre, supporting parents and carers through the challenges of parenting, and during this time completed her Counselling Diploma in 2002. Nicola then moved into the addictions field, offering counselling and developing services for people affected by drug and alcohol use, including setting up a counselling service and commissioning residential rehabs for a local authority. Over the years, she has continued to develop her practice through further training, most recently in Dr Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry (trauma-informed therapy) and CBT approaches tailored for working with ADHD.

Approach

Nicola believes that everyone comes to therapy with their own unique experiences and needs, so she tailors her approach to suit each individual. She draws on a range of therapeutic models, including talking therapies such as CBT, which focuses on developing practical skills and strategies to challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Alongside this, Nicola often works in a more trauma-informed way, helping clients connect with the body to process and release long-held emotions and beliefs. This can support healing from past experiences and bring freedom from triggers and repeating patterns. Nicola also believes in the value of inner child work - gently reconnecting with parts of ourselves that may have been hurt or neglected as a powerful way of developing greater self-understanding, self-compassion, and emotional resilience.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Nicola uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to gently support clients in understanding how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are closely linked. When someone is feeling anxious, low, or overwhelmed, it can be easy to fall into patterns that feel hard to break. CBT offers a space to explore these patterns with curiosity and kindness, helping you to see things from new perspectives and discover more helpful ways of thinking and responding.

Nicola’s approach to CBT is always collaborative and person-centred. She will work alongside you at your own pace, integrating practical tools with emotional understanding. This might include exploring self-critical thoughts, finding ways to calm your mind, or learning strategies that build confidence and self-compassion over time.

Clients often describe feeling more empowered and hopeful through this process, noticing small but meaningful shifts that make a real difference in daily life. CBT with Nicola is not just about changing thoughts—it’s about helping clients reconnect with themselves and move towards the life they want to live.

ADHD

ADHD can make everyday life feel overwhelming at times, from managing time and responsibilities to coping with emotional ups and downs. It can affect confidence and relationships, especially when you can feel misunderstood. Nicola provides a supportive space to explore these experiences, develop self-awareness, and find strategies that work for your unique way of thinking and being. Nicola has personal experience of ADHD along with specific training to help you understand how this particular type of neurodiversity affects you and to recognise and build on the strengths and creativity which you will have in abundance but might not have realised yet.

Compulsive Behaviours & Addictions

Are you struggling with compulsive behaviours and addictions?

You might be feeling overwhelmed, isolated, and exhausted from managing the rollercoaster of emotions that come with trying to hide or control your addictive behaviours. The constant worry about the impact on your work and relationships is likely to feel really exhausting and at times scary.

Compulsive behaviours and addictions can often develop as ways of coping with difficult emotions, stress, or past experiences of trauma but can also trigger judgement from yourself and others which adds another layer of shame and distress.

I offer a compassionate, non-judgemental space to help you to explore what lies beneath these behaviours and to begin building healthier ways of managing emotional pain and letting go of the behaviours/habits which at the moment you might feel trapped by. Together we can start to understand what lies underneath these and I will support you in understanding your patterns, reconnecting with yourself, and moving towards lasting change at your own pace.

Other information

Nicola decided to train as a therapist after experiencing the power of therapy herself during a particularly difficult time in her life. Feeling truly heard, understood and supported was a turning point, and she wanted to be able to offer that same experience to others. Since then, she has enjoyed working with people from all walks of life and across different cultures, recognising the courage it takes to reach out for help and the strength that can come from self-discovery. Nicola is described as warm, down-to-earth and compassionate, with a genuine curiosity about each person’s story and what matters most to them. In addition to her therapy work, she is also a qualified clinical supervisor and finds great fulfilment in supporting other therapists both in training and in practice to grow in confidence and reach their full potential.

Clinical Supervision for therapists/trainees (£75 per session)