Meet the team
Nicole Stocco, MSW, RSW, RCC
In the office:
I help people take their lives back from the stories they were never meant to carry - stories that were written by pain, circumstance, and cruel voices. As a trauma therapist, my favourite part of the work is watching people realize they’re healing, and that the joy they thought was gone forever is still right there, waiting. I believe that healing should include a healthy dose of laughter, because joy isn’t just the goal of healing, but part of the process.
Professionally, I am a Registered Social Worker in Ontario and Nova Scotia, as well as a Registered Clinical Counsellor in BC. I completed my Master of Social Work degree at Wilfrid Laurier University, where I first discovered my passion for therapy. Since then, I have spent over 8 years years supporting teens, adults and seniors with a variety of issues such as trauma, depression, anxiety, relationship struggles, grief, self-esteem, emotion regulation, and communication skills.
My approach to counselling is a collaborative one. I aim to illuminate your inner strengths and empower you to connect with them, while drawing from my own expertise in various evidence-based therapies. Together, we will create a calm, accepting space where curiosity and compassion thrive, allowing the path to healing to reveal itself.
Beyond the office:
When I’m not in the office, you can find me living out my own reframe. I was once a city-dweller who was terrified of bears and cougars, now happily living in the rain forest of Vancouver Island. Life has a way of surprising us like that, sometimes.
The quick stats:
On paper: Master’s degree, trauma specialist, and self-proclaimed "grief nerd."
Off paper: Devoted dog mom, beach lover, and the only Italian on the planet who burns in five minutes flat. It really makes the beach loving difficult.
If you’re a fan of emotional depth, curious minds, and can hold your own in a debate about Disney Dreamlight Valley or Palworld base layouts, we’re going to get along just fine.
The basics.
Therapies Practiced: Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), Solution-Focused Therapy, and trauma-informed practice.
Populations Served: Teens and adults aged 16 years and up.
Services Offered: Individual counselling via video call or telephone: $165 for 50 minutes.
Couples counselling via video call only: $250 for 80 minutes.
Treatment Specialties: Relationships, anxiety, trauma, depression, addiction, grief and loss, stress, life transitions, school/work issues, anger management, and self-esteem.
Insurance Information: Registered Social Worker in Ontario, RSW #835470.
Registered Social Worker in Nova Scotia, RSW #9149.
Registered Clinical Counsellor in BC, RCC #23313.
Otter, PhD (Dogtor of Philosophy)
At the impressive age of 4 months old, Otter was granted his Dogtor of Philosophy degree by his puppy kindergarten teacher. Here, Otter learned practical life skills that he is eager to model for you, such as sit, shake paw, lie down, and stay. Existentially, Otter aligns himself most with Viktor Frankl. After experiencing some hardship in the first 10 weeks of his life, he was rescued, and now uses his difficult experiences to find meaning in the everyday events of his life. Notably, Otter finds most meaning in morning kisses with his humans, the beauty of certain sticks, the challenge in chasing bunnies, and the absolute rush of digging holes in the backyard no matter how many times his mom and dad tell him to stop.
Otter makes appearances in therapy from time to time, and is often pleased to hear how good of a boy he is in session. However, he would appreciate your understanding should he have to miss a session, as he is often very busy taking his mid-day nap. He finds that he doesn’t function optimally if he doesn’t get his full 18 hours of sleep per day.
