About Nicole Pascavis

Hi, I’m Nicole.

Thanks so much for taking an interest in psychotherapy and what I offer on this site and in my practice. I look forward to connecting with you and would love to welcome you to my practice if you’re interested in participating in therapy. First and foremost, therapy with me is about you! So there is no obligation, requirement, or request that you learn about me. That said, if you wish to learn more, you can find more below.

Background & Upbringing

  • Childhood: Chicago suburbs

  • High school: London, United Kingdom

  • College Study Abroad: Buenos Aires (one year)

  • Adulthood: New York City, Portland (OR), Wisconsin

  • Currently: Los Angeles

  • Language skills: English, Spanish

  • Travel experience: Europe, Latin America, South Africa, Rwanda, India

  • Professional history: Corporate public relations (New York), pharmaceutical and healthcare industry clients; social enterprise venture for Rwanda-based consumer product line; study and practice of core shamanism

Education

  • MA, Counseling Psychology with emphasis in Depth Psychology and Marriage & Family Therapy, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2023

  • BA, Political Science with a Spanish Minor, Northwestern University, 2008

Counseling Training

  • Psychodynamic Adult Individual Therapy, one year, Maple Counseling, Los Angeles, CA

  • Program Coordinator for Adults with Learning Disabilities, two years, Independence Center, Los Angeles, CA

  • Private School Counselor, Pre-K - 8th Grade, one semester, Outreach Concern, Santa Monica, CA

My Values

I have lived in and experienced a wide range of cultures and socioeconomic circumstances, and bring a spirit of acceptance, curiosity, and spirited conversation to my therapy practice.

This is tempered with a deep understanding of human emotion, suffering, and loss, which have also been experiences I have lived through many times and found ways to make adjustments to my life and move forward. I have also moved through life with a strong academic and intellectual mind, and I try to model a balance of mind-body-spirit balance in my life and in my practice, also taking into consideration environmental, social, and cultural circumstances that factor into individual experience.

Previous Training in Healing Modalities

Prior to my therapy training, I spent three years earnestly studying and learning about the indigenous healing practices represented by core shamanism. I also experienced a range of alternative and complementary healing methods like acupuncture and Chinese medicine, bodywork, yoga, and movement therapies, and have a general working understanding of integrative nutrition, psychedelic therapies, and how to use ceremony and ritual for healing. While I do not actively practice these modalities in my professional practice, I am aware of therapy as one part of a broader and holistic range of options available to maintain a healthy mind, body, sense of self, and spirit, and bring a sense of openness about an individual’s chosen spiritual or healing orientation.

Civic Engagement and Community Involvement

Long before deciding to become a psychotherapist, I have enjoyed serving young people and offering my services as a volunteer. I worked as a volunteer youth mentor on a weekly basis for several organizations in New York City over five years (Minds Matter, Junior Achievement New York, New York Cares), working with high-school aged youth to prepare for college. I also had the chance to participate in a wonderful civic leadership training program called Coro Leadership New York. I have historically participated in secular service trips to Ecuador and South Africa, and been involved in university-level environmental initiatives and student government. I also have a long history of choral music participation in global U.S.-based music programs; I have had the chance to perform as a volunteer choral participant at performances in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the American School in the Hague, Chicago’s Lyric Opera, and New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. I deeply value the arts, philanthropy, and community service, and support a well-integrated life including classical arts, musical and artistic expression, and community-mindedness!

Corporate and Leadership Training

I completed my undergraduate degree in political science at Northwestern University in 2008, after which I moved to New York City. Somewhat by happenstance, I found myself employed at a marketing firm that developed communications materials for pharmaceutical companies looking to market their products to physicians. Shortly thereafter, I was invited to join a globally-renowned, family-owned PR firm called Edelman and enjoyed an intellectually rigorous and fascinating few years working on public relations campaigns for various products related to a range of chronic conditions, including in categories related to mental health and eating disorders.

This work has flavored my competency as a therapist both in terms of having received a rigorous professional formation in an industry where regulatory compliance and specificity are of profound importance, and also in the sense that I know what it is like to work a demanding corporate job and to feel something profoundly lacking. I do not assume that this is everyone’s experience, but whatever a client’s level of professional engagement, I can draw on extensive experience to inform my ability to empathize and connect to your situation.