Rochelle Nakoa , LCSW

Rochelle Nakoa is an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) with 13 years of professional experience supporting individuals and families through difficult transitions and trauma. Her clinical background includes hospice work with patients and families facing end-of-life care, service as a readjustment counselor helping veterans and their families transition to civilian life, and therapeutic work with active military members addressing substance misuse and family and command relationships. As Chief of Mental Health in a corrections setting, she provided individual and group therapy for incarcerated men, women, and transgender individuals, and these varied roles contributed to a focused practice in sexual trauma and intimate partner violence.

Rochelle practices from a client-centered foundation, sometimes described as Person-Centered Therapy, which emphasizes helping people clarify who they are and move toward who they want to become. She encourages organizing thoughts through reflection and writing to gain clearer understanding of current circumstances and the steps needed for change. By offering a nonjudgmental and empathetic therapeutic stance, she aims to help reduce shame and burden so individuals can progress toward their goals and greater well-being.

Her experience across hospice, military, and correctional settings informs a compassionate, practical approach to issues such as addiction, family and relationship challenges, trauma and abuse, grief, career concerns, anxiety, and other life changes. Rochelle combines her clinical training with real-world experience to support clients as they navigate healing and growth.

Clinical Approaches and Online Care with Rochelle Nakoa

Client-Centered Therapy, also called Person-Centered Therapy, focuses on supporting individuals as they explore their sense of self and move toward who they want to become. It emphasizes empathy, active listening, and helping people organize their thoughts so they can make meaningful changes in their lives.

Attachment-Based Therapy examines patterns in relationships and emotional bonds formed early in life to understand how those patterns influence current connections and reactions. It can be helpful for people working through intimacy issues, abandonment concerns, and relationship challenges.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors through practical strategies and skill-building. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, stress, and coping with life changes.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Rochelle works collaboratively with people to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She tailors care by combining techniques from these approaches to match each person’s circumstances and strengths.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to engage in that collaborative work, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options can make scheduling easier, allow for ongoing support between sessions, and help people access licensed professionals from their own communities or while traveling.