WHOLE HEARTED COUNSELING, * Nicole Gentile-Schoch MSW, LCSW, CAADC, CMC-1, NMIT

Whole Hearted Counseling is rooted in the belief that meaningful change begins with curiosity, awareness, compassion, and a whole person approach to healing. The patterns that bring people to therapy rarely show up out of nowhere. They usually began as ways to cope, survive, or feel some sense of control in an uncertain world. Addiction, binge eating, perfectionism, overthinking, emotional avoidance, people pleasing, self criticism—these are often protective strategies long before they become painful ones. They develop to shield us from overwhelm, loneliness, fear, shame, or experiences we didn’t have the support to navigate at the time. In this space, we slow things down and get curious together. Instead of trying to “fix” the problem or force the change, we explore what’s underneath the behaviors and symptoms: the emotional patterns you’ve learned to manage alone, the needs that went unmet, the experiences that shaped your nervous system, and the parts of you that have been working tirelessly to keep you going. From that understanding, we create room for new ways of relating to yourself and the world. My style is warm, direct, collaborative, and deeply human. I integrate harm reduction, somatic awareness, mindfulness based relapse prevention, IFS parts work, attachment informed therapy, and nervous system regulation. These approaches help you understand what’s been keeping you stuck and support you in building new responses—ones rooted in self trust rather than fear or shame. I bring over 15 years of experience working with adults navigating substance misuse, addiction, compulsive behaviors, binge eating, recovery, attachment trauma, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, chronic stress, and other patterns that leave people feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck. Many of the individuals I work with are incredibly capable and high functioning on the outside, yet feel exhausted, numb, overwhelmed, ashamed, or unfulfilled on the inside. The goal of therapy isn’t to “fix” you or solve “the problem”. It’s to help you reconnect with yourself, understand your patterns with compassion, and move toward a more authentic, embodied, and whole hearted life. If something in you is asking for change, relief, or clarity, I welcome you to reach out. Together, we’ll explore what hurts, what protects, what keeps repeating—and what’s finally ready to shift.