About
I know this from the inside.
I’m Nicole Trister, a licensed psychotherapist in New York. I work with people whose lives look, from the outside, like they’re working — because I’ve lived that gap myself.
i. · My Story
From competitive gymnast to runner — having it together has never meant not needing help.
I’ve spent my life in worlds that reward composure: the discipline of competitive gymnastics, and now the steadiness of a runner. That background taught me something I bring into every session — that looking like you have it handled doesn’t separate you from needing support. If anything, it can make the help harder to ask for.
So when high-functioning people tell me they’re fine, I understand exactly what that word can be covering. I’ve been the person saying it.
ii. · How I Work
I'm a therapist who holds up a mirror.
People come to me — and stay for a long time — because I’m willing to say what I’m observing and hold them accountable to the change they say they want. Not to judge, but to reflect back what’s really happening, honestly and warmly, so you can live the life you actually want rather than the one that looks right from the outside.
iii. · Training & Method
Grounded in research.
My practice is formally grounded in evidence-based methods: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and the Gottman Method for couples. I do both individual and couples work. The research gives the work its structure — the honesty is what makes it move.
DBT
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
CBT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Gottman
Method — couples work
NY
Licensed psychotherapist
iv. · Who I Work With
For people living lives where what you see is only the surface.
The people I work with need discretion and live visible, high-profile lives — from performers and comedians to athletes, founders, and public figures. They’re navigating big, private worries: public perception, privacy, relationships, consequential financial decisions. What looks perfected from outside often carries the most underneath.
Having it together doesn't separate you from needing help. Sometimes it just makes it harder to ask.
