Holding Space for Healing: Nicole Wegweiser, LCSW, on Trauma Therapy, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy & the Inner Child

Nicole Wegweiser, LCSW — owner and founder of Mindful Therapy of Monmouth County — joins Dr. Larry Arbeitman for a deep, honest conversation about what real compassionate care looks like in mental health.

Nicole shares her own path into therapy (sparked by finding the right therapist herself during a difficult relationship in her 20s), why she believes providers can't fully help clients go deeper than they've gone in their own healing, and the difference between fixing, helping, and serving a client — a distinction that reframes the entire provider-patient relationship.

The conversation goes deep into Nicole's specialized modalities: EMDR, psychodrama, Imago Relationship Therapy, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) — including the difference between psychedelic and psycholytic uses of ketamine, how it creates new neural pathways ("like fresh powder on a ski slope"), and why the integration process after a journey is where the real transformation happens. She also unpacks inner child work, nervous system regulation, and what "holding space" really means for any provider — not just therapists.

This episode is essential listening for any healthcare provider who wants to understand what root-cause, whole-person care looks like from the mental health side of the room.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Nicole's origin story and why she believes therapists must be in their own therapy
• The difference between fixing, helping, and serving a client
• Why self-care isn't optional for providers — it's the foundation of good care
• Inner child work and how childhood attachment wounds show up in adult relationships
• What ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is, and the difference between psychedelic and psycholytic use
• How group "medicine work" creates collective healing
• Why the integration process after a session matters more than the session itself
• What "holding space" means for providers in any healthcare specialty — not just therapy

A few standout lines from this episode:

• "Fixing basically says you're broken and you need me to fix you. Serving says we're in this together."
• "The issues are in our tissues."
• "You have to fall in love with your clients."

🎧 Listen to the full conversation — link in bio.

Connect with Nicole Wegweiser, LCSW:
Website: www.nicolewegweiser.com
Instagram: instagram.com/mindful_therapy_of_mc
Facebook: facebook.com/nicolewegweiserlcsw
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicole-wegweiser-lcsw-7211337