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Melissa Nichols, MA, LMFT

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Melissa Nichols, MA, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist at the Family Attachment and Counseling Center in Deephaven, Minnesota. She specializes in working with children, adolescents and their families who have suffered early childhood trauma including abandonment, neglect, and abuse.

Ms. Nichols came to FACC in 1997 and has received extensive training in attachment theory, post- traumatic stress disorders, EMDR and Trauma Focused CBT, parenting, equine assisted therapy, and neurological reorganization. She is lead author of Parenting with Stories, originator of the First Steps for Strengthening Adoptive Families program and DVD, and co-author of Connecting with Kids through Stories.

Ms. Nichols is Program Director for Family Attachment Center’s Education and Support Services including social skills programs, adult groups, neurological reorganization groups, and education. She holds graduate degrees in theology and counseling in psychology. Ms. Nichols also presents nationally and internationally on topics of attachment and Family Attachment Narrative Therapy.

Our treatment approach is gentle and non-intrusive, yet intensive and powerful. The program is guided by the belief that parents are the primary healing agents for children, and builds on parent knowledge about the child’s internal motivations. Our therapists train parents to create narratives that increase feelings of security, address issues in the child’s history and help the child reach new conclusions about life experiences.

Family Attachment and Counseling Center
102 N. Chestnut Street
Chaska, MN 55318
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Website: http://familyattachment.com
Family Attachment and Counseling Center
102 N. Chestnut Street
Chaska, MN 55318

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Details

Practice Location:
Office-Based
Telehealth
Insurance Taken:
Aetna
Allina
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Cigna
HealthPartners
Medica
Medical Assistance
Optum Health
Preferred One
UCare
United Healthcare
Treatment Modalities:
Adult Attachment Inventory
Art Therapy
Child Centered Play Therapy
Circle of Security
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
Crisis Intervention Training
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
Equine Assisted Therapy (EAGALA)
Experiential Play Therapy
Eye Movement Desensitization-Reprocessing (EMDR)
Filial Play Therapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
LifeBook/Life Story Work
Neurofeedback EEG Biofeedback
Neurological Reorganization (NR)
Parental Assessment
Pre-Adoption Evaluations
Psychological Testing
Sand Tray or Sand Play
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART)
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
TheraPlay
Trauma Focused – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF CBT)
Trauma-informed Child Parent Psychotherapy (TI-CPP)
Languages Spoken (other than English):
Spanish (currently not fluent)
Areas of Practice:
Adoption Identity (i.e., self-worth, self-esteem)
Attachment
Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Childhood Depression
Dissociation
Early Traumatic Experiences
Eating Disorders
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)
Foster Care
Grief and Loss Related to Adoption
Kinship Families
Mood Disorder
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Parent Coaching
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)
Self-Harming
Sexual Abuse (Victim)
Suicidal Concerns
Client Demographics:
Adult (Ad. Parent - Individual)
Adult (Adoptee)
Birth/First Parent/Family Work
Couples Work
Elementary Age (7-12)
Family Work
Infant (0-2)
Teen (13-18)
Young Adult (19-25)
Young Child (3-6)

Disclaimer

The use of the information on this site is strictly up to the discretion of the user. Foster Adopt Minnesota is not responsible for the contents of any outside sites through any external links provided; nor are the links an endorsement of the external site as to quality, accuracy or completeness.

If your family is facing financial barriers to receiving care from an adoption-competent therapist in Minnesota, please reach out to our HELP Program: https://fosteradoptmn.org/help_program_overview/

Parents should carefully choose a therapist based on the individual needs of their family. For more information, please see the following: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-therapist/

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