Nicole Ortiz is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor in the State of New Jersey. She has been providing therapy to individuals across the lifespan, including children, adolescents, adults, and their families, since 2001. Nicole earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Holistic Health from Georgian Court University. She furthered her education by obtaining a Master’s degree in Counseling and Clinical Health Psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Nicole specializes in treating substance use disorders and dual diagnoses, focusing on the impact on both the individual client and their family. She offers evidence-based treatment for substance use, incorporating both harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches, and in facilitating skill groups within a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)-informed framework. She completed the 5-Day DBT Core Training. Beyond her clinical practice as a psychotherapist, Nicole is an Approved Clinical Supervisor.
Nicole has made significant contributions to community education through various mediums such as articles, lectures, and panel discussions, drawing from her extensive clinical experience in the behavioral health field. Notably, she served as a panelist for NJBIZ: Mental Health in the Workplace, where she discussed the impact of the pandemic on workers’ mental health and strategies for businesses in New Jersey to better support their employees.
Additionally, Nicole hosted a two-part podcast for Mind on Mental Health titled “Healthcare Workers’ Mental Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic.” This podcast highlighted her volunteer work providing therapy to frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic, offering insights and support to this vital population.
Nicole’s extensive experience in the behavioral health field covers a wide range of settings. She has provided therapy to adjudicated adolescents in a residential substance use treatment facility, offered individual counseling to both traditional and non-traditional students in a university setting, served as an in-home therapist, provided therapy in an inpatient substance and detox facility, and worked as a therapist in an acute partial hospital outpatient setting.
Nicole employs a client-centered approach to therapy characterized by collaboration and empathy. She provides supportive counseling her therapeutic style is anchored in instilling hope and fostering opportunities for clients to experience improvement and growth.