About Atlas
Counseling
About Nikki
Personal
For me, being mixed race in America has been weird and confusing, to say the least. As the daughter of a black father and a white mother, I grew up feeling like I didn't quite fit in anywhere. It took years for me to feel comfortable in the "both-and" of my racial identity, and I wish I had someone to help me process and understand my complex feelings and thoughts sooner. I want to be that "someone" for other mixed race folk trying to figure it all out.
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I'm also an athlete passionate about helping other athletes. I get the struggle! I grew up playing basketball, was privileged to play at the collegiate level at Austin Peay State University, and was top of my class academically. I was driven, focused, goal-oriented, and high-achieving, like many student athletes are. These same qualities that are helpful to excel at sports and in school can also drive anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.
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I am a native Tennessean and willing to admit that I'm more of a Vols supporter than fan. I am a wife and mom to an adorable little boy. In my free time you can find me hanging with family and friends, working out, listening to Afrobeats, singing, shopping at Target, playing basketball, or indulging in a good Netflix binge. I'm also here for a good Saturday brunch, chai tea latte, and just about anything sweet!
Professional
About Nikki
I received my Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Middle Tennessee State University in 2016. I have been practicing as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Tennessee since 2019 (License #4693). I have over 10 years of experience working in mental and behavioral health with a variety of ages, including children, teens, and adults. Before Atlas, I worked as a primary therapist in a professional women's residential program in Murfreesboro, treating co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders, and as a therapist in a private group practice in Nashville, where I provided individual therapy and lead DBT skills groups for adolescents and adults.
Counseling Re-Imagined
Mission Statement
The mission of Atlas Counseling is to support teens, young adults, and adults who feel overwhelmed by the added stress of being mixed race, BIPOC, and/or athletes in already complex phases of life. I bridge lived experience and clinical training to offer hope, help, and healing for clients who are struggling with anxiety, depression, identity and belonging, low self-esteem, trauma, phase of life transitions, and sports performance.