Nicole Schafer

Sex & Relationship Therapist / Coach & Event Producer

Chicago, IL

itsnicole.com
instagram @nicoleinicole
LinkedIn

Q What do you do?

“I am a Sex & Relationship Therapist & Coach.”

I help individuals, couples, throuples, and beyond with attachment, boundary issues, codependency, feeling comfortable in their skin, and exploring desires. Most often clients come to me to work on communicating needs, building emotional intimacy, exploring sexuality, and generally improving relationship or individual mental health.

Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?

I studied Psychology + Biology throughout undergrad and went on to receive my Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health to become a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Q How do you stand out in your field?

Sex & relationships is a realm I am so passionate about. I want to continue to break down stigmas around conversations topic'd of sex and sexual health, and more than anything begin to build a forum around adult sex education (because god knows even as adults we really aren't informed!). I continue to offer myself as a resource for individuals to ask anonymous questions and get answers, as well as featuring and collaborating with other professionals I work closely with or highly recommend. And although therapy is not a traditionally 'creative' field, I utilize my creative eye and spiritual side to incorporate a not-so-basic approach. Lastly, I continue to offer sliding-scale services for those who do not have the budget for my offerings because I think mental health is a priority and help should be accessible to all.

Q What are you working on right now?

I am working on creating a space for adult sex education while furthering my reach of resources and services to individuals who need/want it. I would like to make a name for myself where people can trust and seek out my work.

Q What’s your style?

If only I could show you the progress of my clients! Hah, but in reality, my website is an ongoing project that showcases me, my work, my writing, and so on.

Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?

Honestly, probably a skilled labor task, something where I can work with my hands and have tangible objects of my work.

Q What is frustrating you right now?

I rely on help with coding my website in the exact way I want it, which means waiting- when I don't want to wait hah.

Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?

COOK/ORDER MY MEALS and feed me! This is just something I struggle with in general, and would be immensely helpful in my life.

Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?

I would have told my younger self to practice a trade. I think tradesmen and women are so valuable right now as none of us have the skill anymore because our generations all went into tech and higher education.

Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?

I am very interested in learning more in depth about holistic brain + gut health and nutrition, alongside accounting/taxes/investments.

Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?

I love to collaborate with other individuals which can look like offering my knowledge on my industry, writing, guesting on podcasts, video or content creation, and so on. I want to expand my client base to begin to offer group sessions and to focus on topics for future articles.

Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.

I truly adore all my clients. To see growth and progress within them is one of the most rewarding experiences. I also love to expand my reach through collaborations of podcast guesting, co-authoring, content creation etc. which has been also extremely rewarding.

Q What is your rate?

Individuals $150 per hour
Couples $175 per hour
15-minute consultation: free
Content/writing/podcast collab: TBD

Q How should someone approach you about working together?

Email (nicole@itsnicole.com) is the best way to contact me for anything. Otherwise, feel free to utilize my website to book a consult, ask an anonymous question, or set up a session!

Q Who is a creative you admire?

Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?

A better question- how can I NOT be creative? It's innate!

This member profile was originally published in February 2023.

ChicagoGina CovarrubiasFebruary 9, 2023Content Creator, Educator