Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026
Nicole McSuhm has been in practice 5 years and is licensed in Illinois. Nicole lists stress, Anxiety, LGBT and relationship issues among 19 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.
Everything below is either quoted from Nicole's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.
01 · Who Nicole works with
Nicole lists 5 specialisms and 14 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Nicole chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.
02 · In Nicole's own words
Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.
Seeing a therapist for the first time can be uncomfortable-having to go to a complete stranger and start sharing some of the most difficult parts of your life is really intimidating. Just being willing to come into a session already means that you have a great deal of strength, and my job is to help you acknowledge that strength and achieve your goals. I use an empowerment model, meaning that we'll be focusing on what you want to learn from therapy, and we'll figure out together what works best for you.
I have an extensive background in domestic violence, trauma, healthy relationships, and the LGBTQ+ community. I have also worked a great deal with issues ranging from anxiety and depression to PTSD. My favorite part of being a therapist is watching that "lightbulb" moment for a client when they understand why their brain is acting the way it is. I see couples and individuals as clients, and I use a strengths-based approach. I really enjoy helping folks figure out how to enhance the skills that they've been using to make it this far.
I am licensed in Illinois with my clinical social work license and have 5 years of therapy experience.
Nicole McSuhm, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026
03 · What happens next
Nicole practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Nicole's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.
BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Nicole at this point.
BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Nicole is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Nicole.
You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.
A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.
Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.
04 · Before you commit
Built from what Nicole actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Nicole's - Nicole has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.
“How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”
Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.
“How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”
On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.
05 · Practical details
06 · Provenance
Nicole's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.
The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.
Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Nicole. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.
Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.
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