Welcome

When confronting difficult situations in life, or when faced with unpleasant thoughts and emotions, many people aren't sure where to turn.
Chances are, you've already tried to solve these problems yourself, and sometimes, with some success.
Consulting with a licensed professional can help you build on your success and help you establish a solid foundation of mental health.
Here you can find information about therapy and my online-only practice.  Insurance no longer accepted.
Therapy for individuals in San Francisco, California

Therapy for Individuals

Individual therapy can be very effective for specific problems, including anxiety and stress, drug and alcohol abuse, career issues and transitions, and more. Contact me for a free initial consultation.

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Therapy for workplace difficulties in San Francisco

Workplace Difficulties

Therapy can help you learn to manage stress, take control of your thoughts and feelings, and perform at your best in the workplace. I help people find ways to deal effectively with a wide variety of workplace stressors.

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Therapy for gays and lesbians in San Francisco

Gay & Lesbian Concerns

I provide a variety of specialized therapy to address gay and lesbian concerns, including coming out, dealing with shame and self-hatred, spiritual development and more.

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Executive coaching in San Francisco, CA

Coaching

My expertise includes personal, life and executive coaching. We examine your strengths and clearly define a vision for the future. Coaching helps you take action toward your vision, making it become a reality.

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Welcome to my practice!

Dr. Eric Nicely, Psychologist in San Francisco, CaliforniaI am Dr. Eric Nicely, a clinical psychologist located in San Francisco. I have been in full-time, independent practice as a psychologist since 2003, after years of training and working with individuals and couples since 1991.

This website is designed for you to get to know me and my style, in the hopes that it will help you make a decision about your therapy.

My approach to therapy is client-centered and humanistic. I affirm the dignity and worth of all people, regardless of any specific attribute they possess.

My approach to therapy is best described as caring, compassionate, and nonjudgmental. I believe in the potential of all individuals to grow, become fulfilled, and live satisfying lives.

My goal is to provide you with caring, compassionate, and skilled therapy. Finding the right therapist is critical to your success.

When you contact me for an appointment, we'll schedule an initial consultation to determine whether we could work well together. If your needs fall outside of my scope of practice, or if there is not a good "fit" between you and I, I'll provide you with appropriate referrals to other qualified providers.

I practice both cognitive-behavioral therapy and brief, solution-focused therapy.

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About Therapy

Most people are not sure exactly what psychotherapy is and who can benefit from it. In short, good therapy is:

  • A way to improve your experience of life;
  • A way to increase your joy in living;
  • A way to boost your personal productivity;
  • A way to learn how to create loving, honest relationships with others;
  • A way to curtail or end emotional suffering;
  • Or a way to stop self-defeating, painful, or destructive thinking and behavior patterns.

 
Good psychotherapy is one of the best things you can do to improve your experience of life.

Even today, most people still think you have to be "crazy" to get therapy. There has always been a stigma associated with psychotherapy, but times are changing.

While the term "mentally ill" certainly applies to some people who need psychological help, for most people, the model of injury is a more appropriate conceptualization. There are differences between a medical illness and an injury, just as there are differences between a mental illness and a "mental injury."

Each of us experiences difficulties at some point in our life - usually after a major life event. Therapy can be very effective for basically healthy people who have experienced a major life event (a mental or emotional injury) - the end of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, a job or career change, etc.

Psychologists are experts at helping people find their way through life's difficulties, as well as creating new personal opportunities. We all face stress at some point in our lives, and it can be caused by things like relationship problems, physical illness, work stress, substance abuse or addiction, and career or family conflicts. Symptoms of anxiety and depression can often accompany these and other life challenges.

When you need to talk to someone who can help, you need an experienced, licensed psychologist. Therapy with a psychologist can help you get back on track, and can help you enhance your quality of life.

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What is Coaching?

The focus of coaching is on the future, the possible, and your personal strengths.

The goal of coaching is to help you learn to live in such a way that your actions in life sustain your core values and purpose. From your life's meaning and purpose, we derive choices that you make responsibly.

Much of coaching is about taking action.

Performance coaching can help you fine tune specific skills, clarify goals, and formulate definite plans for action.

Transformative coaching occurs at a higher level, which means that the focus is to create a fundamental shift in your perspective, values, potential, or future life course.

I begin the coaching relationship by helping you clarify your values, dreams, and sources of personal inspiration.

We examine your strengths and clearly define a vision for the future. The coaching relationship helps you take action toward your vision, making it become a reality.

I specialize in bringing you psychological know-how to help move your plans into achievable action steps.

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