Infinite Hope Counseling

Hello. I’m Nicole Guttermuth. In 1998, I earned my BA in English from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. After graduating from college, I moved to Clemson, where I earned my MA in English, in 2001, and had a brief career teaching English at Clemson University. Thankfully, it didn't take me long to figure out this wasn't my purpose. I went back to graduate school and in 2007, I earned my MEd in Community Counseling, and I've never doubted my decision. I have a National Counseling Certification through the National Board of Certified Counselors. I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor in South Carolina, and I am an active Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Vermont. I’ve spent most of my professional life working for community mental health non-profit organizations in the SC Upstate where I’ve been fortunate to work with a wide variety of people, in multiple clinical settings, including Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention and Intervention, Substance Abuse and Dependency, and Intimate Partner Violence intervention along with providing Healthy Relationship Education. I found my purpose working with adult survivors of childhood abuse and neglect. As a result, I’ve invested countless hours in training and courses to develop knowledge, insight, and specialized skills to provide comprehensive treatment in my work with trauma survivors. A self-proclaimed nerd, I’m fascinated by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Resiliency, Neuroscience and Neuroplasticity, and how stress and trauma impact not only our mental and emotional health, but also negatively impact our physical health and well-being. Trauma is a special area of interest to me, but this doesn’t limit the population of clients with whom I work. Cliché as it is, I simply love working with and helping others. My work fills me with a sense of purpose and joy that I’ve not found in my previous career paths. I’m a professionally licensed counselor, and I’m also a human being – a daughter, a mother, a sister, and a friend. I understand what it feels like to struggle with the demands or balancing family life and work, caring for children, and making time to practice self-care. I understand what it feels like to have marital issues, survive infidelity, and navigate the often-unpleasant nature of divorce: making decisions about child custody, and navigating the tumultuous journey of co-parenting children with a former spouse. I understand the frustrations of organization, time management, and emotional regulation that come with ADHD. I understand the dark abyss of depression, the unrelenting worry of anxiety, the paralyzing fear of panic attacks, and the weight of sorrow that can hit us, unaware, with the force of a tsunami as we grieve the loss of someone we love. I like to think that my therapeutic techniques and style are a bit “outside the box” and that my authenticity is what enables me to cultivate the connected therapeutic relationships I have with my clients. It is my belief that my professional purpose in the chaos of everyday life is to provide people with the kindness, compassion, support, and encouragement everyone needs and deserves. Working together, my goal is to help you develop healthy coping skills that will last a lifetime, and to empower you with a genuine belief that you possess the capability, strength, and resilience to weather life’s storms and be wiser and more confident once the storm has passed. Navigating through challenges and adversity is never easy; however, with hard work and support, everyone has the potential to find healing, peace, and self acceptance.