Compassionately Serving You
Right Where You Are ~
“Compassionist Counseling Services aims to win the war for mental health wellness by countering the destructive effects of shame with unconditional positive regard and unfettered compassion.”
Mission Statement - Nicole McDowell-Horn, Founder, Compassionist Counseling Services LLC
Curious why it says “compassionist” instead of “compassionate”? That’s because compassion is a life philosophy at Compassionist Counseling Services. In my formation of this company, I wanted to break the cycle of shame causing devastating and lasting suffering in the mental wellbeing of our society - and I saw the solution was most often compassionate connection. Thus, I seek to act with compassion not just in the therapy hour - but in every interaction in my life. In this way, I may be considered a “compassionist”; Or, a strong believer in compassion.
CCS Core Values
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The cornerstone of Compassionist Counseling Services LLC is, of course, compassion. Compassion has a unique ability to lower the defenses of those with hearts hardened against attacks. This softening and vulnerability is mandatory for therapeutic effectiveness, because you can’t pull a box through a locked shut door. Compassion is connection through common suffering. Even if two people feel sadness for different reasons, they can connect on the experience of being sad - this is the experience of empathy. Compassion is the deliberate choice to connect through that empathy of each others’ suffering. If you work with me, I will gladly connect to your suffering to help you through it. You are not alone.
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Unconditional positive regard means no matter what circumstances you bring to the therapy hour, you will be respected and your strengths and achievements will be emphasized. I genuinely believe in your ability to overcome all odds - and I want to help, not judge.
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The freedom, power, and right of a client to direct their own mental health care is crucial to the therapeutic process. This means from start to finish, everything that is done in therapy is done with the client’s values, preferences, and needs, as well as efforts! Change doesn’t happen without you.
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Though we may suffer, we may make meaning out of our suffering and discover purpose for our lives. By changing our understanding and perspective, we can tap into our innate inner resilience and take power from those painful experiences in the service of our values. Thus, through compassion we may transcend our suffering - together.
The Compassionist Therapy Team
My supervisor is Mark Cagle, LPC-S. Mark is a highly experienced and respected clinician in the state of Texas. Mark is not only a skilled therapist but also a compassionate and insightful mentor. His expertise spans trauma-informed care, Relational Life Therapy (RLT), and the complexities of working with neurodiverse individuals and relationships. He will help me help you better!
~ Welcome from Nicky! ~
Nicole (Nicky) McDowell-Horn, MA, LMHC, LPC-A
I am a physically disabled licensed professional counselor associate (supervised by Mark Cagle, LPC-S) with a passion for helping others and making meaning out of suffering. I use my training and experiences and with trauma, mood disorders, body issues, and shame to help others navigate similar experiences in the therapy hour. I transcended the limitations of my disability in this field by utilizing telehealth and creating a private practice where I could thrive. I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to meet you, I would love to hear your story!
