Individual, Family & Sex Therapy 

Man thinking at lake

Individual

Each individual, sometime, in his or her life, struggles with anxiety, depression, regrets, resentments, fear, grief, loneliness, and/or hurt. Also, most individuals, at some time, struggle with the existential meaning or purpose of his or her life. Embarking upon a journey of individual therapy, with a highly-experienced therapist, who can offer a safe and respectful atmosphere to explore any or all of above concerns, is a wise personal gift. With help, individuals can find creative and effective solutions to resolve or better deal with any or all of the above life issues.

Marital

All couples, naturally, find that there are times in their relationship when they struggle with troubling issues and challenges, such as, communication, sex, infidelity, finances, work, parenting, and/or extended-family challenges. Couples try, as hard as they can, to resolve, any or all, of these problems, but, sometimes, they just reach a point when they see the wisdom of establishing a therapeutic relationship with an highly-experienced marital therapist. Such a therapist can encourage and guide couples to find solutions which will help them better deal with each or all of life’s inevitable marital challenges.

Sex Therapy

Many individual and/or couples struggle with sexual issues of one kind or another. These problems might include, fear of sex, hyper-sexuality, inability to perform sexually, sexual pain, sexual discrepancies with partners, shyness, inability to communicate, regarding sex, unhealthy sexual messages from his or her past, sexual disappointments, sexual preferences issues, and/or sexual identity. Choosing to work with a highly-experienced therapist can help individuals or couples better understand and explore various solutions which can help in working through any or all of the above issues and/or to help each person better understand the underlying causes behind sexual challenges.

Sex Addiction

This condition is often referred to as problematic sexual behavior. There are many variations of how one might find himself or herself in a situation in which he or she is unable to find the will or self-control to stop out-of-control sexual behaviors. Ongoing problematic sexual behavior can manifest into many unwanted consequences, such as: loss of important relationships, loss of employment, legal problems, and/ or health issues. Additionally, individuals who struggle with sexual addiction often find himself or herself in expensive and humiliating situations. With the help of a highly-experienced therapist, clients can find effective methods, techniques, and tools to stop acting-out behavior. Also, clients can gain knowledge, regarding the etiology of his or her sexual acting out. Effective therapy help can provide pathways for individuals to find his or her way out of the webs of painful problematic sexual behaviors.

Pre Marital

Couples who plan to marry are wise to seek help in ensuring that their marriage will be a lasting and a mutually satisfying relationship. With the help of a highly-experienced therapist, a variety of topics can be explored, related to how to better understand and deal with potential problems. Examples of the problems that all couples might encounter are: how to handle finances, sexual issues, extended family issues, unhealthy communication styles, child rearing issues, life goal discrepancies, problem solving differences, and how to deal with differences in temperament and emotional reactivity.


Life Transitions

All individuals, sometimes in his or her life, encounter times in which life changing issues can be very challenging or painful. Examples of these times can be the death of a love one, a job loss and/or change, a financial loss, a troubling geographical move, a divorce, children leaving home, health issues, aging issues, and psychological challenges. When such times occur, seeking the help of an highly-experienced therapist can be very helpful. Naturally, a therapist cannot make problems disappear, but can help in finding creative ways to navigate through troubling life transition and struggles. For example, sometimes, thinking about problems or reacting to problems in different ways can make a very big positive difference.

Philosophy of Practice

Therapy Philosophy

As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Certified Sex Therapist, and a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, in private practice, I offer therapy to individuals, couples, and families. In doing so, I make every effort to offer a confidential, respectful, compassionate, and safe environment for growth and healing.

As a therapist, I encourage clients to develop healthier coping skills and healthier personal boundaries, while also focusing healthier personal care, the development of healthier relationships, and a balanced life-style. In doing so, the goal is to encourage the development of a more satisfying personal life, marriage, or a general ability to relate to others. It is important to learn how to navigate through and/or avoid life stressors. In addition, I strive to help clients understand the connection between coping skills, choices, and difficulties in his or her past, as they relate to present coping skills and choices.

To help clients succeed, I teach useable techniques for better communication skills, along with techniques to challenge non-productive assumptions and habits that potentially inhibit personal growth. I incorporate a variety of models in my work, such as systems theory and behavioral therapy.

Also included in the therapy that I offer are bibliotherapy assignments, referral to 12-step programs, when appropriate, and a wide variety of homework assignments. When needed, referral will be made to specific specialists, and/or to a more intense recovery program. Clients may be asked to sign release forms that allow for consultation, as needed, with other professionals, for the purpose of additional information.

 

Therapeutic
Relationship

Therapeutic Relationship

After many years of experience, Georgia understands that, no matter what the presenting problems may be, successful therapy must include some basic elements. She believes that in order to be, therapeutically successful, during the course of therapy, each client must feel safe, understood, and respected. Georgia’s goal, as a therapist is to always offer her clients a level of compassion and expertise that allows her clients to clearly understand that there are almost always new ways to understand and deal with life problems, in new and healthier ways.

Georgia believes that, in order for psychological healing and growth to occur, each client must develop realistic and clear personal goals. Additionally, strategies must be developed to reach each of one’s goals. Additionally, each person must improve his or her communication skills. Clear, honest, and respectful communications skills are truly an important ingredient to achieve healthier relationships and goals. Also, to encourage personal psychological growth, Georgia teaches client to challenge his or her non-productive personal beliefs. These faulty beliefs, often serve to undermine one’s success and personal growth.

Candidates for
Therapy

Candidates For Therapy

Who is a candidate for therapy? The correct answer is anyone who is serious about embarking on a therapeutic journey with a clear agenda of really working hard to achieve positive differences in his or her life. During the course of therapy, clients can expect Georgia to challenge his or her emotional reactivity style, predictable patterns of engagement, global belief systems, the root of those beliefs, and each person’s potentially, unresolved family of origin issues. Clients who establish a therapeutic relationship with Georgia can expect that she, often, assigns homework assignments.

Her belief is that meaningful personal understanding and growth can often come from assigned reading material and other homework assignments. Each client must be willing to try new behaviors and to participate in doing the assigned homework. She clearly works in a way that encourages each client to understand that, if he or she repeats the same dysfunctional patterns of behavior, over and over, no change will occur. To be truly successful in therapy, each client must be ready to pursue true and lasting psychological change.

Therapeutic
Models

Therapeutic Models

The most basis therapeutic model that runs through all of the therapy that Georgia offers is “Systemic Therapy”. That model encourages clients to consider that all human behavior happens in circular patterns. Everyone is affecting everyone else, and, at the same time, everyone is being affected by everyone else. Each client is encouraged to understand that all behavior has positive or negative consequences and that each person is ultimately responsible for making his or own healthier choices, whether it be for life satisfaction, in general, or in personal relationships.

Additionally, other models are used, such as: Behavioral Therapy, EFT (emotionally focused therapy), Bowenian Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Addiction Therapy, Strategic Therapy, and Person-Centered Therapy. Through extensive, long term, education and experience, Georgia has gained an understanding of a wide range of therapeutic methods. Her goal is to inspire clients to engage in new healthier behaviors and healthier patterns. All of her therapeutic work has one, over-all goal, and that is to help each client to develop greater psychological health and greater, over-all, life satisfaction.

Background

Georgia Nickles, M.A., LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
AASECT Certified Sex Therapist - Diplomat
IITAP Certified Sex Addiction Therapist

Georgia Nickles - Individual, Family & Sex Therapy in Altanta Georgia

Georgia Nickles, M.A., LMFT offers therapy to individuals, couples, and families. Therapeutic issues, for which her clients seek help, include a very wide range of presenting problems. Her goal is to offer a compassionate and safe environment for growth and healing. Her therapy encourages clients to develop healthier coping skills and healthier boundaries. In doing so, her clients are better able to develop clear personal goals and life strategies which can lead to a more satisfying personal life, marriage, or general ability to relate to others.

In addition, she strives to help her clients understand the connection between choices and difficulties in his or her present life circumstances and past coping skills and defenses. To help her clients succeed, in all aspects of their lives, she teaches useable techniques for better communication, along with techniques to challenge non-productive assumptions that inhibit personal growth. Georgia received a Masters Degree from Fairfield University, in Fairfield, Connecticut. She has been in practice for 20 years.

 

Member of AASECT

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The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) is a professional organization for sexuality educators, sexuality counselors and sex therapists. Certification by AASECT as a sexuality educator, counselor or therapist is a crucial step in one's professional advancement, demonstrating to all that stringent requirements for training and experience have been met.

Member of IITAP

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IITAP's CSAT certification, training and continuing education programs offer a cutting-edge advantage for mental health practitioners wanting to grow their practice and gain new insights about addictive and compulsive behaviors and are applicable when treating many types of clients. IITAP has a wide variety of Certified Therapists throughout the world, our Therapist Directory will help you identify colleagues, supervisors and IITAP Partners in your area, or wherever your client is.

Member AAMFT

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The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is the professional association for the field of marriage and family therapy. We represent the professional interests of more than 50,000 marriage and family therapists throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.

Contact Information

Georgia Nickles, M.A., LMFT

770-333-6566

Fee Structure

All New Individual Clients and Couples
1.5 hours $175.00 per session
1 hour $160.00 per session

Accepted form of payment:
Check, Cash, or Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Amex)

Payment due at the end of each session