Nicole Woolf, a woman with shoulder-length wavy hair dyed purple and black, smiling, wearing a bright blue blouse with ruffled trim and heart-shaped buttons, against a light gray background.

Nicole Woolf, LCSW, MAEd

Helping you understand, reflect, & overcome.

Counseling Based in San Diego, Online throughout CA, MA and UT

Schedule a Free Consultation

Life doesn’t have to be this hard.

When it feels like you’re constantly running on fumes, even keeping up with the most basic daily tasks becomes daunting. It’s easy to let friendships, relationships, routines, and anything beyond the bare minimum fall to the wayside when you’re focused on just surviving each day. Though you want to feel better, you’ve tried everything you can think of (and then some) and just end up more frustrated in the end. 

A woman smiling at a laptop with a young girl hugging her from behind, indoors with a neutral background and a potted plant.

I help people who are…

  • Struggling with sleep issues & insomnia

  • Dealing with the effects of childhood trauma

  • Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stressed

  • Having issues in close relationships or feeling disconnected from others

  • Tired of being tired & burnt out

… to heal & live more fulfilling lives.

specializing in:

Insomnia

Anxiety

Trauma

How I work

Together, we’ll challenge unhelpful narratives so you can start writing your own story.

  • Whether I’m your first therapist or not, let me establish that our sessions might not be what you think of as “traditional” therapy. I won’t just smile and nod as you talk, I want to have two-way conversations and build a genuine connection. You’re welcome to show up as your whole self, say what’s on your mind, and give me feedback about anything anytime. We’re in this together, and your experience in our sessions matters.

  • When we work together, I’ll take the time to understand the nuances of your life and story before providing recommendations. This process is collaborative, so whatever is getting in the way of you finding relief, we’ll find a way around it together. This could mean anything from factoring your dog’s walk schedule into our plan for treating your insomnia to being more or less structured in our approach based on your preferences. I believe we can figure out what will work to get you the relief you’re seeking, and want to instill that hope and confidence in you, too.

  • I’m trained in a variety of methods that I can combine or customize to help you make progress and feel better. 

    The methods I draw from include…

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

      • Considered the gold standard for insomnia treatment, CBT-I helps you change thoughts and habits to improve your sleep patterns.

    • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) 

      • Reframe, reprocess, and understand distressing thoughts related to trauma.

    • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

      •  DBT teaches skills to manage intense emotions and improve relationships.

    • Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT)

      • IRT involves changing the storyline of nightmares to reduce their frequency and intensity.

    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

      • ACT encourages you to accept difficult feelings and commit to actions that align with your values.

Together, we can…

  • Discover who you are and what matters to you

  • Create more balance in your life

  • Customize coping skills to fit your life

  • Overcome guilt and shame and embrace self-compassion

  • Get to the root of the issue and gain new insights

  • Take tangible, concrete steps to help you move forward from the challenges you’re facing

Person sitting on a bed with a laptop open in front of them, hands resting on their lap, in a minimalistic room.
Person sitting on a bed using a laptop, with their legs crossed and face obscured by the device, in a minimalist room with white walls and bedding.

My Training & Education

    • University of Southern California, MSW

    • San Francisco State University, MAEd

    • University of California, Berkeley, BA in Linguistics

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia through Stanford Sleep Health and Insomnia Program

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia through University of Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine

    • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) presented by codeveloper of CPT for PTSD Dr. Kathleen Chard

    • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills presented by founder Marsha Linehan

    • Clinical Trauma Specialist - Individual through Arizona Trauma Institute

    • Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT)

    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

    • Anxiety and Depression Association of America

    • Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine

Let’s get started

Ready for a new, less stressful chapter of your life?

San Diego-based, online sessions available across

California, Massachusetts and Utah.

let’s get started

Schedule a Free Consultation