Brandi Nichols Vadis, LMFT
(she/her)
About Me
With over twenty years of dedicated service in healthcare, my journey has been one of continuous growth, learning, and deepening commitment to healing. Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of holding various positions that have shaped my understanding of both the medical field and the profound human experiences within it. As I observed the healthcare landscape, I became increasingly aware of a critical gap: the artificial separation between mental health and medical care was creating unnecessary suffering for both patients and healthcare providers. This realization sparked a transformative personal and professional journey—one that began with my own healing and evolved into a calling to support fellow healthcare workers. Recognizing that trauma and grief are inherent parts of healthcare work, I made the intentional decision to merge my extensive nursing knowledge with clinical psychology training. This unique combination has allowed me to bridge the gap between physical and emotional wellness in meaningful ways. My clinical experience includes supporting trauma survivors in intensive outpatient treatment settings and spending two transformative years at The Elizabeth Hospice, where I deepened my understanding of death, dying, and the profound psychological processes that accompany life's most challenging moments. I've also received specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a powerful trauma therapy that offers clients an alternative to traditional talk therapy for processing difficult experiences in a holistic manner. Over the past five years, I've had the honor of guiding countless healthcare workers through burnout recovery by creating safe spaces for healing. My approach focuses on acknowledging and releasing the stress and trauma that becomes stored in the body over time. Through this process of letting go, healthcare professionals often rediscover their connection to others and gain renewed clarity about their passion and purpose. In addition to individual work, I've led comprehensive trainings on essential topics including emotion regulation, conflict resolution, and effective communication. I've also designed and facilitated various support groups addressing grief, chronic pain, imposter syndrome, and burnout—all areas where healthcare workers need specialized understanding and support. These experiences and insights have culminated in the creation of Hope for Healers, a nonprofit organization I founded to advocate for meaningful mental health support for healthcare workers, particularly in response to the unprecedented challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this work, I continue to champion the belief that when we heal the healers, we strengthen the entire healthcare system and improve outcomes for everyone it serves.
Education & Experience
Master of Arts, Clinical Psychology Bachelor of Science, Nursing
Professional & Volunteer Affiliations
Past Board Member and President of SDNC-CAMFT
Specialty Area
- Anxiety/Panic Attacks
- Chronic Illness/Medical Issues
- Chronic Pain
- Grief/Loss/Mourning
- Marriage/Relationship Issues
- Moral Injury
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Spirituality
- Stress Management
- Traumatic Incident
Population Served
- Adolescents (13-17)
- Adults
- Couples
- Families
- First Responders
- Group
- Seniors
- Veterans/Military
Language
- English
Insurance
- Aetna
- BlueCross BlueShield
- Medicare
- Sliding Scale
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealth