ABOUT NICOLE

Nicole Atkinson, LCSW, is a dedicated therapist and the founder of DNA Therapy and Creative Solutions. The name of the practice, created collaboratively with her son, stands for “Delete Negativity Always,” reflecting her mission to empower clients to overcome life’s challenges and foster personal growth.

My Story

I often say I got the best of both worlds growing up.

My mother taught me confidence—to embrace what made me different, believe in myself, and never allow anyone to dim my light. My father, with his military background, taught me discipline, structure, responsibility, and follow-through.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that becoming your own person isn’t about rejecting everything you were taught. It’s about deciding what you want to carry forward, what you want to change, and what gets to stop with you.

That lesson has shaped both who I am and the therapist I’ve become.

Through my own life, motherhood, and years of working in social work, I’ve seen how childhood experiences, family roles, beliefs, and generational patterns can continue to influence us well into adulthood.

But I’ve also learned something equally important: understanding your past doesn’t mean you have to live there.

You can understand where your patterns came from while still choosing something different for yourself. You can set boundaries. You can rediscover parts of yourself that became buried under expectations, responsibilities, relationships, or survival. And you can create a life that feels more like your own.

My Approach

I’m not a “just sit and talk” therapist.

My style is warm, direct, interactive, and practical. I’ll listen and give you space to process, but I’ll also help you recognize patterns, challenge beliefs that may be keeping you stuck, strengthen boundaries, develop coping skills, and turn what you discover in therapy into meaningful change outside of the therapy room.

I integrate EMDR, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, trauma-focused approaches, and practical strategies based on what you need.

You may receive an exercise to try, something to journal about, a new way to look at a pattern, or a gentle challenge when fear is keeping you from moving forward. And yes—there may be some laughter along the way.

I want therapy to feel safe and supportive, but I also want it to move you somewhere.

A Little More About Me

Outside of being a therapist, I’m a mother, a person of faith, and someone who believes there is more to life than simply getting through it.

I enjoy nature, traveling, good food, reading, spending time with the people I love, and trying new experiences. I value authenticity, curiosity, humor, growth, and giving yourself permission to become more of who you actually are.

Those values show up in the way I practice therapy too.

Nicole Atkinson, LCSW
EMDR Certified • Trauma-Focused Therapist
Licensed in North Carolina, South Carolina & Florida

Healing looks good on you !