About

My name is Dr. Nicole DiLella and I’ve been providing counseling services in a variety of settings for nearly ten years. Most of my practice has focused on clients recovering from trauma and personality disorders. I've also spent a great deal of time assiting client's in navigating through religious crisis/spiritual struggles, sexuality, perfectionism/self-criticism, narcissistic family dynamics, career issues, and developing a sense of self-compassion. I am a nationally certified counselor and licensed as a professional counselor in the states of Virginia and Maryland.

When it comes to therapy, I take a collaborative approach and work alongside my clients in identifying concerns and working together to alleviate suffering. I believe the relationship between counselor and client is of utmost importance and work to provide a warm, nonjudgmental atmosphere whereby you can explore painful, scary, and difficult aspects of yourself in the presence of an unconditionally accepting other. Furthermore, I believe therapy is a place where you can also discover strengths, resilience, and powerful insight that propels you forward toward healing and growth. I cherish the opportunity to bear witness to all these aspects of the therapeutic process and to celebrate the emersion of your whole, authentic, self.

In addition to a warm therapeutic environment, I also highly value the inclusion of empirically supported treatments in therapy. As such, I've completed Level 1 and 2 training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy to provide services to couples using this empirically supported treatment approach. Additionally, I have completed training and earned certification as a Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C) to more effectively provide therapy to perinatal/postpartum women and their families. Lastly, I am a certified traumatologist through the Green Cross Academy of Traumatology. As needed, I'm deployed through the Green Cross to both domestic and international disaster sites (such as when Hurricane Sandy struck in N.J. in 2012, when Typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines in 2013, and most recently to Charlottesville, VA in August 2017), to provide clinical and supervision services to those affected by these horrendous events. As appropriate, I integrate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to assist in developing skills to regulate emotions and process traumatic events.

Overall, I greatly look forward to the opportunity to work with you. I am constantly in awe of the clients I have the privilege of journeying alongside; they remain some of the most creative, courageous, resilient, inspiring, and beautiful humans I have met.