Offering In-Person Therapy
Specializations:
- Identity Development (particularly with LGBTQ+ folks and women)
- Gender Affirming Care (gender identity and support with the medical process)
- Relationship Counseling (poly, married, partnered – straight or queer, single)
- Counseling for Women and Life Transitions (parenting, career changes, divorce/relationship turmoil, empty-nesting, retirement, and more)
- Anxiety and Stress Management
- College and Graduate Students Concerns
- Integration of Spirituality/Religion and the Therapeutic Process
- Existential Questions About One’s Identity/Life
- Career Counseling and Coaching
- Sports (Performance) Psychology
Hi, I’m Ro Nicolosi,
Did you recently come out as gay and are now struggling with old friends? Maybe it seems that your employer is treating you differently and you want to re-think your career. Or perhaps your family has not been totally comfortable with your exciting news. Have you been avoiding church for fear of being judged? Are you wondering — how do I go about finding a partner?
If these are some of the questions or issues you are dealing with, I can help. As a licensed psychologist and out lesbian, I have a deep understanding of the challenges you may be facing.
Many people think: “Hey, it’s 2023, everything is cool for LGBTQ people”. While it might be “better”, there are still lots of situations where you might be experiencing pain, confusion, alienation, and so forth. Also, if you just came out, expressing your joy warrants equal attention. I would love to join you on your new life path.
Why I’m a Therapist
I am a therapist because I thoroughly enjoy helping people move along on their life journey. Sometimes we may not know where we want to go or who we want to be. I view these times as opportunities to probe, experiment, explore, gain insight, and take small steps forward (after maybe several steps backward).
What I love about being a therapist
Working with people, as they find their life path, brings me great satisfaction and fulfillment. I believe my role is to help uncover options, challenge the status quo, and celebrate incremental improvement.
Being a therapist allows me to witness the client’s joy and excitement. And in this case, we all win.
My therapeutic style
I am an integrative therapist and incorporate CBT, Mindfulness, Feminist, and Family Systems theories in my work. The therapy experience starts, though, through a psychodynamic lens. While I believe we eventually need to focus on the here-and-now, understanding one’s development is essential dialogue to share at the onset.
Family-of-origin experiences, prior social and/or romantic relationships, and other experiences that have occurred before walking into therapy help shape the agenda for how to move forward — the ultimate goal.
My education and experience
I obtained a B.S. from Tufts University, an M.B.A. from New York University, an M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University, and a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University. My dissertation research was focused on whether same-sex marriage would contribute positively to well-being.
My career has unfolded in two distinct phases. I spent the first 20 years working in corporations: Exxon International, Citibank, First USA Bank, and I retired from the Advanta Corporation as President in 2002.
After some time identifying my true passions, I returned to school to train and eventually become a licensed psychologist. As a psychologist, I spent 10 years working at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Counseling Center. At JHU, I was a therapist and the Coordinator of Services for LGBTQ Students, and then, the Associate Director of Clinical Services and later the Interim Director of the Center.
In this third phase of my career, I am really looking forward to bringing it all together and working as an individual therapist, therapy group facilitator, career coach, and relationship counselor.