Nicole Knowlton
About
Nicole is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and a mother of two teenagers. Nicole’s educational background includes:
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an undergraduate degree in Business,
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a double Master’s degree in Psychology and Alternate Dispute Resolution, and a
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Juris Doctorate degree.
In addition to her couples therapy and coaching, Nicole has a divorce and co-parenting mediation private practice in Irvine, California. She also facilitates Batterer’s Intervention Groups, teaches parenting and anger management groups, and helps clients and families combat addiction.
Couples Experience
Nicole has worked as a therapist and mediator for over 10 years, helping couples and families strengthen their relationships, heal from traumas, addiction, and domestic violence and develop healthier tools to navigate life. Nicole brings a trauma-informed approach to couples therapy to encourage safety and empowerment for all clients. Nicole specializes in trauma in relationships, addiction, neurodivergent couples and families, blended families and co-parenting during separation and divorce.
Co-Parenting
Nicole has two teenage sons, co-parents with her former husband and successfully engages in a “nesting” living arrangement to provide the children with stability and support. Nicole understands the unique challenges and conflicts that may occur among individuals working to collaborate with a co-parent in scheduling, decision making, sharing time and finances along with life’s commitments and demands. Nicole works with individuals, families and separated or divorced parents focused on developing and maintaining a positive co-parenting relationship. Nicole is also trained in high conflict relationships and obtained her training as a mediator at the Straus Institute at Pepperdine University, School of Law that is ranked #1 in the world for alternate dispute resolution.
Divorce Co-Parenting
Nicole offers therapeutic and coaching services to individuals, couples and families to help navigate conflicts that may arise prior, during or after a divorce is finalized. Rather than relying on attorneys or the court, Nicole will help the parties resolve their disputes and come to a collaborative agreement. She can help create a parenting plan, resolve disputes over scheduling, shared finances, education and medical decisions that the parents may be struggling with.
Blended Families
Nicole grew up in two blended families and understands the special demands this can place on parents and their children. Nicole strives to offer a non-judgmental space to allow clients the ability to communicate openly and develop a family plan to help all family members thrive and succeed in each unique family environment.
Discernment Therapy
Nicole has a background working in family law and family law mediation. She is able to work with clients seeking discernment therapy as they go through the difficult stages of contemplating a divorce or keeping marriage intact.
Nicole is able to support families or couples seeking to maintain an amicable outcome, or help create a productive environment to resolve areas where there may be an impasse of communication or unresolved conflict impacting mediation or settlement agreements.
Neurodiverse Families and Couples
With her own neurodiverse family members, Nicole has experience in helping navigate the unique environment that neurodiversity may bring into a relationship or family. Nicole can help support improved communication skills, intimacy, and conflict resolution that can help the couple or family thrive with improved connections. She can also help bring awareness and empathy to encourage long-term relationship enrichment and cohesion.
Specialties
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Addictions
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Anger Management
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Neurodiversity
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Divorce
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Families including parenting, co-parenting, special needs parenting
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General Couples Therapy
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High Conflict Relationships
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Intimate Partner Violence Recovery
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Trauma
Modalities
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Family System Therapy, Gottman, Internal Family Systems, Solution Based Therapy
License
MA, Registered Associate, AMFT #122657
Supervised by Dr Harry Motro, LMFT #53452
Contact
(949) 293 - 7405
