Dr. Nicole Hedrick, JD, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who brings a rare and highly relevant dual background in law and psychology to her psychotherapy work with attorneys. She earned her JD from Harvard Law School and practiced law for thirteen years before transitioning into clinical psychology, giving her direct, lived experience of the intellectual demands, adversarial culture, and high-pressure environments that characterize legal practice. Dr. Hedrick completed her doctoral training in clinical psychology at The George Washington University, where she received rigorous preparation in evidence-based psychotherapy and trained in a range of clinical settings serving diverse and complex populations.

Before entering psychology, Dr. Hedrick built a distinguished legal career that included service as a federal law clerk, a Skadden Fellow, an associate at a large international law firm, and, most notably, nine years as a civil rights trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice. This work required sustained performance under scrutiny, exposure to conflict and trauma, and navigation of institutional power dynamics—experiences that closely parallel the professional stressors faced by many attorneys today. Her legal background provides her with an unusually nuanced understanding of workplace stress, burnout, ethical pressure, identity concerns, and the emotional toll of practicing law.

Dr. Hedrick now specializes in providing psychotherapy to attorneys and other busy professionals, helping them address burnout, anxiety, depression, trauma, career transitions, and relationship challenges within the context of demanding professional lives. She integrates cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic approaches, and incorporates mindfulness-based practices when clinically appropriate. Because she has personally practiced law and understands its culture from the inside, Dr. Hedrick is particularly well positioned to help attorneys feel understood, respected, and supported in therapy—without the need to translate or justify their professional realities. She practices via telehealth in multiple states under PSYPACT authority and is the founder of Arlington Rooted Wellness in Arlington, Virginia.

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