Bring harmony back into your life.

Holly Nielsen, marriage and family therapist and professional clinical counselor in chico, ca

Do you remember a time in your life when you felt happy and confident? Like you could take on the world?

Remember feeling connected and carefree? Riding a bike on a summer evening feeling the wind in your hair. In the mountains listening to an afternoon breeze sough through sweet-smelling pines. Being held. Protected and feeling loved by the whole world. What would it be like to return to that internal peace and presence? We are not defined by what happened to us. We carry within us the joy, love, and devotion of our childhood selves. But painful experiences can leave us frozen in fear, anxiety, and doubt. Hypervigilant, we expect that we will be hurt again by life and those we love. We listen to an inner critical voice that tells us it’s our fault, we’re not good enough, we’re unlovable, we’ll be rejected again. Allow me to help you recover your inner child soul life and offer him or her the protection and compassion of your wisdom-filled higher self. When we learn to show up for ourselves in this way, we can begin to write our own story.

The Peace of Wild Things—Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

What it’s like to work with me

I love maps and wild places. I spent seven years of my life as a botanist walking across mountains and deserts in wild country. If I knew where I wanted to go I figured out a way to get there. No roads, no trails, no cell phones. Just a folded paper map and my own two feet. Those years of walking across wilderness, studying the natural world, healed me as I came to understand and work through my traumatic experiences in the solitude of these wild places. It was a long and lonely journey. But what I learned along the way now allows me to bring healing and wholeness to others.

We will work together to decide upon your goal for therapy: Your desired destination. When we figure out what that is, I have the knowledge of our internal soul processes, the metaphorical maps and orienteering skills, to find a way for you to get there to find the health, harmony, and meaning in your life that you most desire.

MY GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Compassion.

I understand your suffering. Working to get free of trauma and anxiety is not easy. Being understood and seeing what is best in us as reflected by an intuitive and experienced therapist helps us develop true compassion for ourselves and others.

Safety.

Safety is foundational for deep work. Your stories and privacy will be carefully held and protected. I calibrate the intensity of our work to what feels manageable to you. Somatic awareness and mindfulness practices facilitate this inside and outside of sessions.

Accountability.

Trauma and difficult life experiences can leave us feeling stuck in a victim identity. But we are not our trauma and we are not helpless. It is good practice to take accountability for the things we can take responsibility for. To truly offer ourselves forgiveness means we have the intention to live up to our higher self.

Joy.

Working with anxiety, trauma, and difficult relationships can be heavy work. I employ humor as well as art and expressive movement therapy to bring in lightness and enjoyment to the therapeutic process.

TRAINING & EDUCATION

I’m committed to ongoing education & training to best support your journey.

  • Master’s Degree in Psychology

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

  • Professional Clinical Counselor

  • Specializing in Trauma and Dissociation

  • Post-graduate training in conceptualizing and treating Trauma

  • Experienced in working with Families, Couples and Children