Grief counselors and therapists in Stamford, CT

Hi, I’m Nikki — owner of Dragonfly Haven Wellness LCSW PLLC. I’m looking forward to starting our work together.

I’m a licensed clinical social worker with a Master’s in Social Work from Fordham University, earned in 2003. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of supporting children, teens, adults, and families through life’s challenges in both outpatient and school-based mental health settings.

I believe therapy works best when you feel safe, supported, and genuinely understood. My approach is warm and collaborative, while also helping to point out connections to support your growth. I draw from a blend of psychodynamic therapy, relational approaches, CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, and Encompass co-occurring treatment to help clients build insight, strengthen coping skills, and create meaningful change.

I’ve recently completed a certified integrative mental health provider course and somatic technique training to focus more on body-based approaches alongside traditional talk therapy to support healing as a whole-person process.

Whether you’re navigating anxiety, depression, stress, relationship challenges, life transitions, or simply feeling stuck, you don’t have to do it alone. My goal is to create a space where you feel comfortable showing up exactly as you are and knowing that I am here to work alongside you as you move towards change.

Finding a therapist who genuinely understands your background, not just your diagnosis, can make the difference between therapy that feels like going through the motions and therapy that actually moves you.

I'm a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and Certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (C-DBT), fluent in English and Hebrew. I work with adolescents and adults navigating trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship challenges, identity, emotional regulation, and major life transitions.

Before private practice, much of my clinical work took place in crisis response, hospital-based care, community mental health, and other high-stress environments. That experience taught me how to sit with difficult things without becoming intimidated by them, while also recognizing that people are far more than the hardest things that have happened to them.

As a therapist, I'm warm, direct, collaborative, and genuinely curious about the person sitting across from me. I don't believe therapy should feel clinical for the sake of sounding clinical, and I don't believe my role is to simply tell you what you should do. I want to understand how you got here: the experiences that shaped you, the patterns you've developed, what those patterns may have helped you survive or manage, and whether they're still serving you now. From there, we can figure out together what you want to keep, what you want to change, and what moving forward can actually look like for you.

We are designed for movement . What IS movement ? I have devoted over 35 years to helping others go to the next step: allowing movement to occur. Movement can be as nuanced and magnificent as a shift ! With my experience and expertise as a Theatre Movement Specialist I support people to employ their intelligence of mind and body, and when ready, to let go of “the stuck” and experience change. I bring a holistic approach to the human existence through examination of meaning, personal responsibility , values, freedom , human potential, spirituality and self actualization.

For more than twenty years, I have had the privilege of walking alongside adolescents, adults, and couples during some of the most difficult and meaningful seasons of their lives. I believe that sometimes it can be difficult to see beyond the darkness in front of us. My role is to listen without judgement while helping you find your way toward the light again.

I work with adults navigating anxiety, career and life transitions, grief, and questions of identity and purpose — whether that's a 20-something rethinking their path, someone reassessing a career after years in it, or an older adult navigating retirement, caregiving, or the shifts that come with later life. My approach is collaborative and grounded: you'll leave sessions with more clarity than you came in with, not just more to think about.

I came to this work after a first career in banking. I understand the pressure, identity, and burnout that come with corporate life firsthand — and what it takes to actually rebuild around what matters to you, whatever stage of life or career you're in. I hold a Master's in Mental Health Counseling from Yeshiva University.

I'm a licensed clinical social worker based in Maplewood, NJ and the founder of canyons therapy. I can see clients who live in New Jersey, Texas, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. I am a recovering perfectionist, anxious mom, and lover of a slow-paced life. In session, you will find me casually dressed, warm beverage in-hand, and ready to hold space for your most imperfect self. Outside of session, I’m wrangling my young kids and doing my best to embrace our chaos. I enjoy being in nature, watching the latest documentary, and curating mood-setting playlists.