Nicole Randel, LISW

Nicole Randel, LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker), is an Iowa-based therapist with six years of clinical experience. She takes a client-centered and solution-focused approach that is informed by trauma work, aiming to create a relaxed and authentic therapeutic environment where people can explore their circumstances and life challenges.

Nicole works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, eating and body-image issues, LGBTQ-related matters, intimacy-related concerns, and relationship difficulties. She also has experience with abandonment and attachment issues, caregiver stress, chronic pain and illness, codependency, communication problems, and family-of-origin themes. Her background includes work with emergency service personnel and others exposed to vicarious trauma, and she is trained in A-TIP (acute traumatic incident processing). She has provided care for clients as young as four years old and for adults across the lifespan.

Narrative, mindfulness, and evidence-informed behavioral methods inform her practice. Nicole draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused and Trauma-Focused approaches, Internal Family Systems, and client-centered principles. She aims to tailor interventions to each person and to collaborate on practical, achievable goals. When appropriate, she may incorporate warm, direct humor to help build rapport and ease difficult conversations.

Nicole emphasizes respect for each person�s story and works to support strengths, increase coping options, and help clients find meaningful changes in their lives. She welcomes conversations about whether her style and approach are the right fit for a prospective client.