Nicole Garza

Nicole Garza, LCSW, helps people facing big changes and difficult transitions. She focuses on practical steps for stress, anxiety, addictions, grief, and shifts in relationships. Nicole writes short-term goals with clients and checks progress often so people know what’s changing and why.

Nicole brings 13 years of clinical experience and a background that includes military service. That experience shaped her comfort working across different communities and life situations. She draws on a mix of methods to match what each person needs rather than using one single technique.

In sessions she listens for patterns that influence daily life, such as attachment concerns, caregiver stress, or issues with boundaries and control. She uses cognitive behavioral ideas to spot unhelpful thinking and acceptance and commitment strategies to help people move toward values-based action. Dialectical behavior skills are used when emotions feel overwhelming.

Nicole emphasizes the relationship in therapy as the place where changes happen. She helps people name goals, try new ways of coping, and notice what improves. Progress is tracked in follow-up conversations so plans can be adjusted.

People often come for help with parenting strain, work and career pressure, intimacy or family conflict, sleep problems, and substance use. She also supports those dealing with trauma, depression, bipolar mood concerns, and identity-related stress. For anyone unsure where to begin, Nicole helps prioritize the first small steps.

Approaches that guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values. It is useful for life transitions, anxiety, and making behavior changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them against real experiences to reduce distress and improve daily routines. CBT often helps with sleep, mood, and stress. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers concrete skills for managing intense emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness, which can be helpful when someone feels overwhelmed or reactive.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress is tracked.

Confirm which online session formats are offered before booking, since the biography does not list them. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into busy lives, shorten check-ins when a quick review is needed, and allow work to continue while people are traveling or between appointments. Licensed professionals can use these sessions to teach coping skills, practice new behaviors, and follow progress over time without promising a specific outcome.