I am on maternity leave and am not accepting new patients.

Shelly Nicol, PsyD

I am a licensed psychologist in Oregon and Washington. I graduated from Pacific University's PsyD program in 2015. I've been practicing full-time since 2016, seeing individual clients and running an occasional group. I spent several years at my former agency, Western Psychological and Counseling Services, training colleagues in how to provide comprehensive, gender affirming mental health care for transgender adults.

My theoretical “home base" is Gestalt therapy. I explore personal beliefs, their origins, and the ways that we hold back from making contact with our internal and external environment. I believe that we are inherently oriented towards growth and change. I also subscribe to the idea that our whole self is made up of parts, some living harmoniously with each other and others in conflict and contributing to symptoms. I like to explore which parts are not functioning together optimally, and why. Through an increased awareness of this, I believe that we are capable of achieving a more integrated, higher self.

As for my personal life, I was born and raised in Honolulu. I love cats, live music, camping, and the ocean. I would like to be a skillful cook, and to learn to speak Indonesian. Both are moving slowly.

Welcome, I'm glad that you're here.

I offer a holistic approach that integrates Gestalt therapy,
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR),
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy,
and Ego State Therapy.

The rest of my wheelhouse...

WHY THERAPY?

The primary goal of therapy is to increase awareness and contact. I believe that symptoms diminish with a strong therapeutic relationship, by welcoming all parts of the self to contribute to healing, and by increasing meaningful contact with the self, others, and environment.

Many people seek me out because they are suffering from resurfacing trauma and/or symptoms that have started to impact relationships and day-to-day life.

Symptoms may feel intrusive in the form of distressing memory recall/flashbacks, nightmares, dissociation, panic symptoms, avoidance/phobias, sleep issues, self injury, numbing with substances, etc.

Gender Affirming Care

My first specialty area in this field was gender affirming care.

I have been serving the transgender and gender nonconforming community since 2011. My doctoral dissertation explored self efficacy and locus of control among transgender adults at different stages of transitioning.

A fraction of my practice will always be dedicated to educating and preparing folks for gender affirming surgery.

Many of my clients are trans, although their gender identity often times is not the main focus of therapy.

We will rely on your imagination as a resource for healing.

We will reconnect with younger parts of yourself.

We can bring them out of hard times and into the safety of the present moment,

into connectedness with you.

I also enjoy seeing people who are looking for something
outside of the specialty areas that I listed above.

Other focus areas:
Grief
Relationships
All the queer things
Anxiety
Depression
etc.

All inquiries are welcome.

Q: What should I expect after initiating contact?
A: I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation to discuss whether we are a good fit for each other. If we determine that we are, we can schedule a 50 minute intake session, followed by 50 minute follow up sessions to address your treatment goals.

Q: Do we meet in person or online?
A: At this time I am only offering telehealth appointments via zoom.

Q: What ages do I see?
A: 18+