Meet the seacoast’s newest Counselor and Herbalist. A Whole Person Approach to Wellness.

 

How many times have you gone to the doctor’s office and left feeling that you weren’t really heard, that were only seen at a superficial level?

Did you leave feeling disappointed because you’d arrived with hopes of real healing and insight into the deeper source of your problems?

Choosing Holistic Health and Natural Remedies

There’s a strong trend towards holistic health and natural remedies for wellness today. Conventionally trained practitioners are beginning to bring complementary alternative medical treatments (CAM) into their practices, and providing their patients with referrals for things like stress management, nutritional support, and bodywork.

This increase in the prescription of natural remedies is neither because research is only now proving the mind-body connection, nor because the efficacy of natural remedies has only recently been confirmed. For decades research has already confirmed a solid connection between the mind and body. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), for example, is a comprehensive healing system that is over 2000 years old.

The reason CAM therapies are being integrated into mainstream western medicine because consumers are demanding it. Individuals have been exploring alternative methods on their own when conventional treatments fail to provide deep healing and sustained change, and getting life enhancing results without the usual side-effects common with many medications.

Healing Begins with You

When I was 19 years old, I visited a psychotherapy office for the first time and knew immediately that I had entered a place of healing. The therapist recognized me as the expert of my experience and body and devoted the entire hour that followed to listening while I shared what I needed to express. This gave her good insight into what I was made of and what the potential sources of my problems could be.

I met her every week over a stretch of time, which allowed a healing process to unfold as I was ready to peel back each new layer of my awareness, and I had her support as I took each step towards growth. I felt empowered to learn about myself and to tap into the higher guidance I was receiving.

Whole Person Approach to Wellness

I’ve been a counselor for nearly two decades now. In my Integrative Psychotherapy practice at the Journey to Wellness Center in Dover, I incorporate several different modalities into the counseling framework in order to support the whole person– mind, body, spirit– and whatever stressful transition or period of life they are navigating.

I am also a clinical herbalist, which means that I have been trained to apply theories of traditional herbal medicine to assess and then suggest custom-tailored herbal formulations to reduce anxiety and other mental/emotional imbalances, and resolve stress-related physical symptoms, like insomnia, tension, PMS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), nervous exhaustion, and menopausal symptoms. I’ve witnessed shifts towards wellness that are relatively quick and often transformational, freeing one of chronic imbalances and moving one toward wellness.

With the integration of Mind/Body therapies into the counseling process, including guided imagery, mindfulness, body focusing, dream interpretation, and relaxation training, one can cultivate a strong connection to their higher self, and bypass the unproductive “busy-ness” of the mind in order to discover the deeper truth and guidance that resides within each of us.

By combining both herbal therapy and mind/body techniques into the counseling framework, a healing opportunity is extended to the whole person.

On a personal note, I recently moved to the beautiful New Hampshire seacoast from California with my husband who grew up in Portsmouth, and our two girls. We escaped the big city to give our children the benefits of a smaller close knit community. I’m thrilled to be here. What a special place this is.

Please reach out for a complimentary in person or phone consultation. I look forward to answering any questions. You may read more details about my approach at www.nicolemacdonald.com, and sign up for my Heal with Me Blog.

New Reader Q & A Series: “Ask the Herbalist”

SeacoastKidsCalendar is excited to invite Nicole to take your health questions relating to herbal and holistic remedies! Submit your questions via email and we’ll answer them in our first Q & A series starting Monday, March 17!

Nicole MacDonald, LCMHC, RH (AHG)
Licensed Counselor and Clinical Herbalist
Journey to Wellness, 839 Central Ave. #5, Dover NH
603-380-6580; nicole@nicolemacdonald.com

Nicole-17 office

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