Nicole Leibforth Licensed Social Worker

Nicole Leibforth, Licensed Social Worker, 26889 is practicing under the supervision of Kate Sollitto (Maryland, LCSW-C, 17683) at Maryland Counseling Associates LLC.

Please, note: A clinician listed as being “clinically supervised” is completing clinical hours toward their licensure. They have one or more fully licensed clinical supervisors that often have special training. They consult with their supervisor(s) on all of their cases.

My clinical experience ranges significantly from the clientele I have worked with, treatment settings, presenting problems, and target population. Each clinical role I've held has shaped my understanding of mental health disorders, empathy towards clients and my overall approach to therapy. I have worked extensively with child and adolescent clients in acute care settings. I started off working in a diagnostic treatment center for youth with significant mental health struggles and behavioral challenges. I also worked in a residential treatment setting for children and adolescents who were awaiting foster care placement or reunification with family members, parents, or guardians. I conducted individual therapy sessions with these clients, collaborated with case workers and other professionals, and provided support to family members involved in the child's care. Over the course of my career, I have gained valuable training and insight working with child and adolescent clients who have experienced trauma and helping them process their emotions and cope in a healthy way. I transitioned to working with both adolescent and adult patients with eating disorder diagnoses in a partial hospitalization program (PHP) and intensive outpatient program (IOP) setting. I primarily worked with the adolescent patients in this program, facilitating various groups and offering mealtime support. Some of the groups I was responsible for facilitating include a coping skills group, as well as both CBT and DBT skills groups. This role ignited my passion to help individuals struggling with eating disorders and assist clients in accepting their body, building confidence and increasing self-esteem. My most recent experience includes working for a police-based crisis intervention team which provided invaluable crisis intervention experience. In this role, I responded to mental and behavioral health crises that came in through 911 calls and the county's crisis hotline. I gained valuable skills in crisis assessment, providing immediate emotional support and therapeutic interventions, and arranging the appropriate level of support or resources needed for the client. This position offered a unique glimpse into the ongoing stress and trauma that first responders are exposed to on a daily basis. This position allowed me a deeper understanding of the need for trauma-informed therapists to work directly with first responders.