In their own words:

"I’ve been working with Abi for more than half a year now, and I’ve noticed a big difference in my personal life and in my ability to perform in school. I used to deal with major anxiety and depression. I am not “healed”, but I am way, way more high-functioning than I used to be. Last year I would have been proud of myself if I made it to every one of my classes in a day. This year, I’m not only making it to my classes but I’m taking harder subjects, juggling a job, research and extracurricular activities, I have a strong circle of friends, and I’ve learned how to take better care of myself emotionally and physically. Mental health issues don’t rule my life anymore. And I know the longer I work with her the better things will get.

It’s difficult to make such substantial changes, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Abi guiding me. We often talk about how my bad relationship (or lack thereof) with my parents affected my mental health. In short, I had awful role models who were scared and ashamed of themselves, and by extension, of me. Not only was this damaging, but I also never learned how to properly take care of myself. It is so strange for me that when talking to Abi, she tries really hard to understand what I’m feeling, and she doesn’t pass judgement in any way. It feels so relieving. She can’t replace my mother, but she does guide me the way my mother should have about how to accept and love myself. She’s naturally a very empathetic person, and I think she herself is very mentally healthy. She also has lots of experience helping people who had traumatic childhoods, so it’s easy for her to see my weaknesses and help me grow. 

Abi takes a very wholistic approach to therapy. Basically, she focuses her practice on reconnecting your mind with your body. People like me who have had traumatic childhoods learn to ignore the feedback the body gives in stressful situations as a coping mechanism. In therapy, we try to tune back in, but sometimes when I start to listen, the feedback is so overwhelming that it’s just easier to keep blocking it out. Abi is patient and wants to explore what I’m going through in a really understanding way. She’s so gentle and I feel absolutely no pressure to dig into my past to find solutions. Everything that we have talked about in the last half a year has come up organically, and has progressively gotten deeper as I’ve come to trust her more and more. There is no urgency to fix anything. It’s a process of learning about myself, and making small changes every week. After a whole year, the small changes have really started to add up. As she always says, “slower is faster,” and I believe that one-hundred percent. I’m excited to see where I’ll be in another half a year with her!"

E.L. (a 24-year old caucasian female client)

"To say Abi is special is an understatement.  She is a true gem and really is meant for this work.  Her ability to provide a space that is safe and supportive is exceptional.  She makes you feel like you are not only accepted but that you are fully embraced and as a result this becomes the perfect atmosphere for you to really work through some challenging times and issues.  Abi is a deep feeler and thinker and I cannot adequately express what going through this process with her has meant to me.  I am filled with genuine gratitude to have met her and to know that there are people like her in the world."

B.N. (a 31-year-old Persian female client)

"I am brave. I am strong."

S.T. (an 8-year-old African-American male client)

"Hello Friend,
Deciding that you need additional help outside of what your friends or family can provide is difficult enough, let alone starting the search for professional support.  There are so many hurdles to jump over to finding a great therapist – and sometimes honestly those hurdles can feel way to high to jump over. I have had the guidance of wonderful therapists in my life over the past five years, and I would like to offer you my personal experiences with working with Abi Joy Nix. Words alone do not begin to describe the beautiful and healing time I have spent with Abi. Lacking words is actually quite accurate in the sense that our sessions are not simply words – Abi’s approach to therapy fully includes emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects of the healing process. Since Abi is also a certified yoga instructor, she is especially attuned to the physical aspects of emotional and spiritual hurt.  For example, when talking about a topic that brings up anxiety or past pain, she asks me to check in with my breath.  With anxiety, my thoughts tend to rush fast, and my body physically feels like it needs to run.  Abi consistently asks me to check in with my breath and body during our sessions.  Checking-in in this way has led for Abi and I to take walks during our sessions, sitting on the floor because it feels more grounding, and playing with different yoga poses. Every session with Abi feels like I am more deeply embracing my true authentic self.  Further, as a young gay man, who has struggled with my sexual identity, family issues, feelings of shame and rejection, and childhood trauma, I truly cannot recommend Abi enough.  I also want to note that no issue or topic is too small to bring to the table.  There have been multiple times I have (apologetically) asked to talk about something that I externally processed as 'not important enough'.  Abi has never, and would never, minimalize something you feel is important. Furthermore, I have never had a therapist who seems so incredibly present during my sessions.  I feel like she is 100% there for me – and she also literally remembers everything – even my dog’s name I brought up a year ago. If Abi feels like the right support for you, I highly recommend that you put yourself out there. Reach out to her and see if, and how, her heart aligns with yours."

M.M. (a 24-year-old Caucasian male client) 

"I love you.  You are a good friend.  God will always be with you."

J.W. (a 7-year-old Caucasian male)

"Making the decision to enter into therapy is daunting — the space is foreign, the relationship is unsung, and what you might come to find is completely unknown. Abi facilitates a therapeutic catalyst for familiarity, discovery, and exploration, while staying true to a steady pace conducive to healing. As a survivor of trauma, it has felt safer to not be fully experienced by others, or by myself.  Yet, Abi has made it feel safe to be seen, heard, and felt, enabling presence and connectivity in places I felt to be unattainable. Abi will walk beside you in the impossible, wade with you in the confusion, and sit by you in the pain, reassuring and supporting every step of the way. I cannot put words to how grateful I am for the progress I have made with Abi as my witness and guide, and I look forward to the progress I know we will continue to make in the future of our work together. I can only hope that my words inspire others to take this daunting plunge, and find the same."

K.N. (23-year-old Caucasian female client)

"Whether you need help in your daily life or in major life decisions, Abi can walk you through it. At first I was unsure about going to counseling, but now I would recommend the help and clarity I’ve received from Abi to anyone. I’ve had days where I didn’t know how I could go on or where I would turn next, but I always leave my sessions with Abi feeling like I can conquer the world. She has made it possible for me to dwarf my giant problems. Abi is warm, understanding, welcoming, and empowering. If only I could have her with me every day, but then I guess I wouldn’t need her!"

J.L. (a 27-year-old African-American female client)

"You are brave," you told me from the beginning. Brave was never a word I have used to describe myself, but with your strong sense of care and consistency - I've seen the gift of hope during some really difficult seasons. I see true empathy in your eyes, body language, and hear it in your words, that you understand. You've let me explore different ways to figure things out, rather than just talking - and you remember, even small parts that have often been forgotten.  You have helped me negate the shame behind, even what I fathom to be too small or unworthy - to let other people care for. In a journey that has felt lonely, you have reminded me that I am  worthy enough to keep fighting to experience more moments of beautiful things."

 P.T. (a 27-year-old Caucasian female client)

"Abi was recommended to me during a transitional period in my life.  Old wounds I thought I’d buried and feelings I felt I’d mastered were quickly resurfacing. Therapy sessions were not new to me, but Abi’s approach certainly was. Rare were there moments of recounting, reliving the past in detail, as so many others expected from me.  Abi was much more mindful of how my body was reacting during those episodes, how stress was affecting me physically, even in the slightest ways. Abi encouraged me to focus in on what my body was saying when the negative chatter would take over, or when my mood would shift in a negative way.  She suggested I focus not on the ideas or thoughts that seemed to be repeating themselves, but on what physically felt right to me and what did not and she helped guide me through this process. By using my thoughts in a constructive way, I’ve slowly discovered some very essential things about myself and how much control I really do have over my physical well-being.  I’m far from being rid of my demons.  The past will always be with me I know, but I’m finally allowing myself the space I need to overcome my fears, so that I can breathe much more freely.
And I thank you Abi!"

A.B.  (a 52-year-old Puerto Rican female client)