PuttingFamilyFirst

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NM Portrait of Nikkia Matthews
Online therapist

Nikkia Matthews

Compassionate family-focused therapy

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Credentials
LMSW
Experience
11 years
Licensed in
Michigan
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Nikkia

Nikkia Matthews is a Licensed Master Social Worker who has practiced in Michigan for over a decade. She brings 11 years of experience to sessions and focuses on family and parenting matters alongside a broad range of emotional and relationship concerns. Her approach is practical and down-to-earth, aimed at helping people manage stress, anxiety, and life changes.

In sessions she uses clear, straightforward methods that help people notice patterns and try small changes.

Background and approach

She draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to address unhelpful thinking. She also uses acceptance and commitment ideas to help clients clarify values and take manageable steps toward them. Her work covers grief, trauma and abuse, addictions, intimacy issues, and self-esteem struggles.

Relationship problems such as communication breakdowns, commitment worries, blended family challenges, and divorce or separation are also included in her focus. She addresses parenting concerns and fatherhood issues as part of family-related work. Nikkia incorporates emotion-focused practices and elements of the Gottman Method when relationship repair is needed.

She pays attention to attachment and abandonment themes and helps clients learn skills to cope with control issues, codependency, and emptiness. Practical skill building is part of the process, including coping strategies for ADHD symptoms, anger management, and career-related stress.

Sessions aim to produce real changes people can use day to day, with the therapist offering guidance until clients feel ready to move forward on their own.

Therapeutic approaches and what they look like online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck. It focuses on identifying what matters to a person and taking small actions in that direction, which can help with anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and teaches concrete skills to change them, useful for stress, mood struggles, and coping with ADHD. Emotionally-Focused Therapy centers on emotions and attachment needs, which can help when repairing important relationships or improving communication.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has or has not worked in the past. Together they will try methods that fit the problem at hand and adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online sessions make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation from home, phone sessions offer a simple alternative when video isn't possible, and live chat or text-based messaging can support short check-ins or ongoing coaching between sessions. These options aim to increase flexibility so people can access care in ways that match their schedule and comfort.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of problems can be addressed in sessions?
Common concerns include stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family problems, parenting challenges, grief, trauma and abuse, addictions, and intimacy issues.
What is the general therapy style and approach?
The style is practical and collaborative. Techniques include cognitive behavioral work, acceptance-based practices, emotion-focused methods, and tools from the Gottman Method when relationships are involved.
How much clinical experience does this therapist have?
The therapist has 11 years of professional experience working with a range of emotional and relational concerns.
What are the therapist's credentials and location?
The clinician is an LMSW - Licensed Master Social Worker - with license number MI LMSW 6801094610 and practices in Michigan.
Are sessions offered in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
Which session formats are available?
Sessions can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are involved in starting therapy?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
11 years
Licensed
Michigan
Languages
English

Next step

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