Nicole Bongard, Graduate Student Intern

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Professional Life

Nicole is a graduate student earning her Master’s of Arts in Counseling with Northwestern University. In 2022, she graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Major in Sociology, and a Minor in Applied Psychology. Nicole’s background in sociology has helped her better understand the complexities surrounding intersectionality and how it affects our thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. Nicole hopes to help clients:

• Build a strong therapeutic alliance to foster growth in relationships

• Work through past traumas to heal the mind-body connection

• Use mindfulness and grounding techniques to connect with the body

• Identify inner strengths to empower and improve one’s self-esteem

Nicole believes that human beings drive connection, and connection drives us to better understand ourselves. She loves how counseling offers everyone a safe space to explore themselves, their relationships, and the world around them. She wants to help her clients develop, grow, and become the best version of themselves possible.

Nicole’s approach to counseling is integrative, drawing on components of Psychodynamic, Feminist, Multicultural, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT),  Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Nicole believes each individual is unique, and should be treated as such. Nicole values the client’s strengths and weaknesses, and acknowledges the importance of each individual’s identity throughout the therapy process.