NORA MICKOWSKI, LCSW
[Licensed Clinical Social Worker]
About my CLIENTS
Most of my caseload is both queer and neurodivergent (like me), and a majority have chronic energy-draining conditions (also like me). I especially enjoy working with other HSPs, spoonies, zebras, and gamers, as well as burners, artists/creatives, weirdos, and anyone else who doesn’t fit society’s standard mold. I also love helping those who have been neglected or harmed by the medical-industrial complex, those living with invisible illnesses or rare diseases, and those who are still searching for a diagnosis. I’ve been there.
Areas of focus:
People living with chronic illnesses or disabilities, including invisible, less visible, or rare diseases - diagnosis not required; spoonies and zebras welcome! In case you’re looking for a provider with lived experience in this area: I myself live with hEDS (which took 21 years to diagnose), POTS, migraine, chronic pain, and chronic nausea (among other things).
Neurodivergent folk - e.g. ADHDers, AuDHDers, Autistic folks, HSPs (AKA “high sensory perception” / “highly sensitive person“), folks with OCD
Survivors of TRAUMA or PTSD
2e adults (gifted/talented folks who also have neurodivergence or learning differences)
Gender, sexual, and romantic minorities including LGBTQIA+ folk, asexuals, demisexuals, graysexuals; pansexuals; aromantics; trans, nonbinary, agender, or gender nonconforming folk; and those who don’t yet have the words to describe their experience. Also ENM/Poly-friendly, kink-friendly, and friendly in general :)
I offer free 30-40 minute consultations via video, phone, or text, with online scheduling and no phone calls required.
About Me
I'm a neurodivergent, chronically ill third culture kid with a dark sense of humor, and I often swear in session. I’m deeply empathetic but brutally honest, and I won't push you to quit drugs or other “unhealthy” behaviors (unless you ask me to!) I won’t blame your health issues on fatness, anxiety, relationship structure, sexuality, or hobbies, and I’ll adapt our sessions to fit your needs, whether that means playing a video game, cleaning your room, or cooking a meal while we talk, using live-chat or asynchronous messaging, or being late to every single session. Different brains and bodies need different things.
Before becoming a therapist, I was a teacher, a fencing instructor, a sailor, a SCUBA diver, and a world traveler. I was raised on Star Trek and Star Wars (yes, both), Tolkien, and Greek mythology, and my personal fandoms include (among others): Firefly, Discworld, Zelda, the Vorkosigan Saga, Arcane, and Steven Universe. When I’m not tinkering with brains, I enjoy D&D, cooperative board games, indie video games, and cake. I have two cats, one human, and an alarming number of houseplants.
I was trained as a Social Worker, and I’ve been in the mental health field since 2009. I’ve worked in hospital settings, in residential treatment, with supportive housing programs, and on the streets as a community mental health provider. Basically: I’ve seen a lot, so I’m not easily fazed. I’m gender-affirming, neurodiversity-affirming, fat-affirming, ace/aro-affirming, poly-affirming, kink-affirming… Are you noticing a trend?
FINE PRINT:
I’m currently telehealth-only in order to provide maximum schedule flexibility for my clients, though I do hope to open a physical office again someday (in/near Austin, TX) if I’m able to find an appropriate and accessible space.
I currently hold licenses in Texas (license no. 67310) and Illinois (license no. 149.018728) and am registered as a telehealth provider in Florida, so I can see clients who are physically located in any of these three states (TX, IL, FL) at the time of our sessions. If you’ll be in another state or country, I typically can’t see you for therapy, though exceptions do exist. My support groups, on the other hand, are open to folks nationwide.
Still not sure if I’m the right therapist for you? Or maybe (like me) you tend to do a fair amount of research before making big decisions. Either way, here are some more details…
AN ADHD- AND BRAIN-FOG-friendly Practice, by design
Many of my clients have ADHD, Autism, and/or chronic illnesses or energy-draining conditions, which can make it difficult to attend sessions consistently or on time. Because of this, I offer flexible rescheduling, keeping several slots open each week for last-minute changes, and waiving late-cancel fees if you can reschedule before your next regular session, and for emergencies. Clients can cancel or reschedule via their secure portal OR by messaging me, and I’ll never require a phone call or an excuse.
I’m also flexible on start times, and completely unoffended by lateness! In fact, some of my ADHD clients are late to every single session. I consider this a symptom of your condition, not a personal insult. I can wait.
Perhaps most importantly, I don’t discharge clients for poor attendance. Some of my clients with ADHD or chronic illnesses have been discharged by multiple previous therapists just for being late or inconsistent, even when they were making progress! Needing to find and “break-in” a new therapist every time you miss a few sessions is at best discouraging and at worst devastating. It also makes it very difficult to make consistent progress in therapy, and leads many to simply give up on treatment.
Instead, I charge half your session fee for cancellations within 48 hours, but I waive that fee in medical emergencies (as defined by you, the client) or if you can reschedule before your next session, so I very rarely need to actually charge this fee. That’s the only consequence; no guilt, no lecture, no questions!
Top tHERAPEUTIC MODALITIES:
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a mindfulness-infused type of CBT with an admittedly terrible name)
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
CBTi (CBT for Insomnia)
CPT for PTSD (Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) - [Wherein we spend ~12 weeks and many worksheets logically picking apart the warped beliefs your trauma left in your brain, gory details optional.]
WET for PTSD (Written exposure therapy for PTSD) - [Wherein you write about your trauma for ~5 30-minute sessions, and I’m basically your “trauma editor,” but you never have to talk about what happened to my face.]
I am also trained in a specialized coaching technique called the Values-Based Integration Process (also known as “Unmasking Coaching”) developed by Heather Morgan, (who trained me) and referenced in the popular book Unmasking Autism by Devon Price.
You may NOT be a great fit if YOU…
just want to vent, not learn or try anything new.
are highly resistant to therapy, and need to be “talked into it.”
are only here to change someone else’s behavior, not your own. (Spoiler alert: that’s not how therapy works!)
despise humor, sarcasm, and/or profanity
are rarely in Texas or Illinois at the times you’d like to meet (e.g. frequent flyers, truck drivers, athletes)
want to focus on losing weight (I cannot ethically support intentional weight loss as a goal, though I can support health-oriented goals around nutrition, exercise, or improving one’s relationship with food.)
have (or suspect you may have) an active eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia. I do see many clients with eating disorders, but typically only once they’ve received specialist treatment, and are either in remission or well-managed. I do see many folks with untreated ARFID, but this is usually not the primary focus of our work.
