My Patients Get Better
I am warm, understanding, and results-oriented. I use a diverse array of instruments to assess patients before beginning treatment, throughout treatment, and as treatment ends. My patients enjoy watching themselves change over time and I enjoy celebrating with them! As you can see, everyone’s journey towards change, symptom reduction, and well-being is different. I tailor each patient’s treatment plan to best fit their unique style of growth, goals, and life circumstances.
Pediatric Aggression
My Harmonizing Your Home Program consistently eliminates nearly all child aggressive behavior (results vary due to a number of different factors).
Youth Anorexia Nervosa
Pediatric Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Bulemia Nervosa
Couple Conflict
This couple was near the cutoff for experiencing clinical levels of Marital Distress at the beginning of treatment (higher scores on this instrument are better). They had a great deal of difficulty discussing even simple matters and experienced daily conflicts that they could not resolve. Treatment helped them to listen to one another, build a friendship, resolve conflicts without Dr. Hastings in the room, and connect in meaningful ways. At the end of treatment, their Dyadic Adjustment Scores were no longer a concern–they had achieved an Average level of marital adjustment!
Depression
Erectile Dysfunction
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Pediatric Homework Refusal
This pediatric patient was struggling significantly with bringing materials home for homework, completing homework, and turning in homework. Dr. Hastings’ and parents targeted this behavior. Over the course of 6 weeks, the patient achieved a 100% success rate of completing and turning in homework. Below is a graph outlining her overall percentage of achievement related to all her expectations (mastery over homework, mastery over hygeine, and belonging by interacting with her family in respectful ways).
Neonatal Loss (Stillbirth)
Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Youth Panic Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Youth School Refusal
Adolescent who had refused school for several years before beginning treatment missed 70% less school days the year during his treatment with Dr. Hastings.
Pediatric Separation Anxiety Disorder
A family initiated treatment with me after the child had been sleeping with her parents for over 6 years 100% of the time. We worked together and were able to help the patient to sleep in her own bed/room with a 100% success rate within 3 weeks of initiating treatment! Following this milestone, parents reported the “best summer and transition back to school ever.” This is only one example of the many Pediatric Separation Anxiety Disorder cases I have successfully treated.
What Patients Are Saying
I’m honored to have the privilege of helping clients transform themselves and their relationships.
Parents of Young Children: Pinch me, I’m dreaming!
Hello Dr. Hastings,
I am so proud and just had to share the following:
1. Yet another breakfast date was earned by safe, respectful and responsible behavior at school.
2. (Child) earned his breakfast for staying in his own bed for ten nights (he saw (sibling) earning stickers and really loves waffles so we used this as an incentive for him too! They both like to see how many each other has and both are motivated by “keeping pace”!) The has the choice to have separate breakfast dates with us but both chose everyone together as a family so we went out this morning…
3. The kicker: the older woman sitting at the table behind us the entire time told me, as we were leaving, word for word: “These boys are the most well-behaved, REGULATED children I have EVER seen.” I can’t say I’ve EVER expected a compliment like this but holy sh*t it felt good and I made sure the boys knew how proud I was!
They deserved every bit of the waffles, pancakes, chocolate chips, syrup and ICE CREAM for breakfast that they chose… AND the lollipops they were given on the way out!
And then we proceeded to have an absolutely glorious day at (community event) – zero issues whatsoever despite being filled to the brim with sugar!
I’m just so proud and just wanted this on record, as opposed to challenges I usually email about! We could not have come this far, this quickly, without your guidance, I’m sure.
Hope you’re having a great weekend (or had… and that you’re not checking work email til Monday AM! haha!)
Young Adult: “Dr. Nikki is an amazing person and an incredible therapist. She has shown me that therapy is different than I thought it would be…I was under the impression it would be like how it is on TV and movies but I was wrong. She truly cares for her patients and our overall well being is her greatest concern. She treats me very well and has helped me to understand so many things… Because of her I have greatly improved the quality of my life -making that first appointment with her was the greatest decision I’ve ever made for myself! I couldn’t thank you enough.”
Parents of Pre-Teens: “We were fortunate enough to meet Dr. Hastings when one of my sons was having trouble with anxiety. After our first meeting with her, I immediately knew that she was extraordinary. She gave my son an action plan to deal with his anxiety and he started it immediately. Also, she taught me how to support him. She also began to see my other son who struggles with OCD, ADHD, anxiety and depression in addition to my husband and I. She has restored hope to our family in addition to systematically giving us a structure for success. She has seen us through some tough family issues and has helped us learn to deal with the bumps in life successfully. Our family life is so much more positive as we incorporate the techniques we have learned in our sessions with her. All our lives continue to improve. Her positive energy has influenced us in the way we deal with everyday life.”
Adolescent: “My counseling experience with Nikki has been a challenging yet wonderful journey. By allowing me to explore different aspects to different situations, she has taught me more than I ever expected to learn. Nikki is a bright and guiding light as I progress through the remaining time of my counseling experience.”
Parent of a Toddler: “I was having what I perceived to be major issues with my 2 1/2 year old son. I wasn’t sure if it was medical, developmen
Single Parent of 3 Children: ”Having my family in Dr. Hastings’ care at this important transition in our lives has been exactly the catalyst for healthy change that we needed. We have been through an emotionally abusive marriage and a volatile divorce, along with mental illness in one of my children that we need to find lifelong strategies for. I desperately needed to stop my children’s negative behaviors from escalating: lying, slipping grades, sassy attitudes, independence issues and even physical aggression. Our needs are very much two fold: short-term crisis management and long-term skills for maintaining a healthy family.
Through many years of counseling on my marriage and therapy for my special needs child, I have seen many professionals. While I can say that Dr. Nikki is the best fit for us, I can also honestly say that she is uniquely adept at dealing with our lasting trauma from domestic violence. She is helping us to manage behavior in quantifiable, concrete terms while at the same time guarding the fragile self-esteem of my family. When I meet with Dr. Nikki, I come away with important information that I use to parent my children. She listens to me and is flexible with her strategies, which is extremely important for putting our goals into practice. It happens often where I am amazed at her depth of experience and knowledge; and equally important is her ability to teach what she has learned.
She is enthusiastic about all of our efforts and successes, and understanding and nurturing towards us all when we perceive our own failures. We leave her office feeling energized, confident and healthier. The plans she has partnered with me to put in place in between visits have given us hope for our future. She is truly setting us up to live a fulfilling and healthy family life that we have more control over. I have already recommended her to many in search of family therapy. Her encouragement, warmth and positive presence is well received in my children. We are always happy heading to Dr. Nikki!”
Parents of 2 Children with Special Needs: ”We were referred to Dr. Massey-Hastings from our son’s psychiatrist. He needed a psychological evaluation and to be honest, we were sad and scared. I was sad because we had to deal with this issue and scared with the possible diagnosis. The first time I talked to Dr. Hastings on the phone, she was so nice. I felt good about her but was still skeptical.
When I met her in person it was obvious that she is passionate about her career and is very knowledgeable. Dr. Hastings was intently focused on what we were saying and although we had a lot to go through in terms of his testing she was extremely confident that she could help us. Finally! We felt like we’d been heard.
Part of her evaluation was meeting with us (his parents), spending hours with our son, observing him in his school setting and observing him at home. I’ve never heard of a doctor coming to your house or school to watch your child in his natural environment, but it makes perfect sense. How can you diagnose someone by spending an hour with them in your office? Dr. Hastings compiled all of her data and within a few weeks I had an extremely detailed report and a plan on how to get our son, and our family on track so that we could be happy and emotionally healthy.
I highly recommend Dr. Hastings! I am so grateful that we were referred to her. She is amazing and perfect for our family. We never felt like we were being judged. I felt from the very first time I talked to her on the phone that all she wanted to do was help us. I cannot say enough good things about her. If you meet her you’ll know what I mean. She’s just fantastic!”
Parent of a Teen with Special Needs: “I already miss hearing your voice and your reassurances. But, I know what I have learned will stay with me always.”
Parent of a Teen: “My son has had a lot of therapists. You are the only one who has been able to crack him. He listens to you.”
Kid to Kid Letter #1
Hello!
if you are reading this, you are probably a kid just like me and awaiting to start therapy. I’m here to answer the biggest question you have; does it get better?
Well, I have good news, yes it does! Want some proof?
A few years back, a young middle school girl at the time (me), was told she was going to start therapy once a week, with a woman named Dr. Hastings. Obviously you could expect my reaction to that, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with therapy. Personally, I was scared. Nobody actually wants to talk about how they are feeling, or what they have been through. It’s tough, and a very draining process to go through. But, over time hard work pays off.
Back to the story then, Even though i threw the biggest hissy fit of my life, and begged not to be taken to my first session, eventually i gave in and got into the car to go. I met Dr. Hastings, and while i thought she was very sweet, I still built up those walls I had for so long, and refused to let her in, and well, basically refused to let her do her job. Because I had the same question you do; does it truly get better? Time past and every week I was on that same couch. As stubborn as I was, (and still am) I learned to cooperate, and I started to work with Dr. Hastings on bettering myself.
I learned new coping skills, ways to know what feeling I am feeling, and did something i’d never thought i’d do. I stopped myself from shutting down, and avoiding my feelings. Everyday I find myself feeling more and more like me. i’m no longer scared to say what I need, or to ask for help. I even carry myself better physically. I dress better, eat better, and keep up with my personal hygiene on a whole new level. (thankfully, am i right?) I found out, being emotionally stable actually helps you physically too, weird right?
Even though I am yet to start trauma reprocessing, the progress I have made has helped shape who I am today. Now, I’m a high school student with dreams for my future and a new smile on my face. I went from a scared girl who hated going once a week, to a brave girl who actually asked to have ANOTHER session during the week along with my regular session all by myself. Yes, you heard me, I’m here twice a week now!
So take it from me, another kid like you who was terrified but faced her fear. You can be the author of your own story, but sometimes it is okay to have help along the way. Therapy will show you new ways to love yourself, and be considerate of your health to keep you strong for your future. You can get through anything if you try, and I believe in you.
because yes, it definitely gets better.
Kid to Kid Letter #2
Dear Friend,
My guess is you are going through something tough right now and I just wanted to tell you a little bit about what I went through. I was diagnosed with I was 10 but I first started therapy with Dr. Nikki when I was 9. I was constantly worrying about doing the wrong thing and one mistake could make me feel like the world was ending. When I first started to see Dr. Nikki, I was very nervous about having to open up to someone I didn’t even know. I did things over and over. I felt the need to confess the slightest mistake. I always apologized, even for things that really did not matter. I felt like the weirdest kid on the planet, and the only child who went to therapy. Little did I know, kids all around me were experiencing the same struggles.
After a while, I became more comfortable with Dr. Nikki and began exposures. But let me tell you, the beginning of my exposures were very rough. I cried A LOT and my parents struggled with the exposures as well. But if I had to go back and do it all over again, I would because as I once said “exposures change you.” When I began therapy, I never wanted to come. I would always dread Wednesdays because that’s when my appointments were. Even though I never really wanted to come to therapy, I always felt like I was on top of the world when I left. After 9 months of exposures, my obsessions and compulsions were undiagnosable!
Although my symptoms are up and down, therapy is no doubt worth it. As much as you think you’re alone, there’s so many people hurting just like you. Recently one of my friends and I discovered we both have OCD. It’s amazing to be able to talk to someone who knows exactly what you’re dealing with because they have been through the same thing. Having a mental disorder has changed me for the better. I had to fight so hard to battle my OCD. Much of my life was filled with tears, anxiety and apologies. But the journey has taught me never to give up. Life may be hard right now but happiness is there you just have to find it. I probably will struggle with OCD here and there throughout my life but after these painful 4 years, I know I can conquer anything life has to throw at me.
From,
Someone Just Like You
Speaking Engagements:
The Wheaton Glen Ellyn Child Care Association would like to let you know how much we enjoyed Dr. Hastings presentation on Young Children’s Mental Health. Dr. Hastings is exceptionally talented in communicating a tough topic making it easy for lay people to understand and grasp the concepts she presented. For example, Trans-Diagnostic Problem Areas in Childhood Mental Health Disruptions (that’s a mouth full). Dr. Hastings connected the developing child and the environment making learning easy. She connected the child’s ability to master the task to their independence, generosity and sense of belonging. The big take away was how important relationships are between the child/educator/parents.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend Dr. Hastings! She is a dynamic speaker that knows her topic which allowed others to understand how best to work with young children. Dr. Hastings is welcomed back to our association meetings whenever she can spare the time!
Sincerely,
Jan Munday
Professional Development Chair
Wheaton-Glen Ellyn Child Care Association
P.S. Other provider comments from that night:
Diane – Dr. Hastings was incredible!
Tracy – Dr. Hastings was the best speaker for our group of educators.
Cathy – Dr. Hastings was dynamic, I can’t wait to hear her speak again!
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Dear Dr. Nikki Massey-Hastings,
My teaching team and myself attended the 9/28/18 seminar at National Lewis University on Resilience in Children. We work at a preschool in Sycamore which is celebrating 50 years of childhood education. We were interested in the topic matter and earning professional development hours. But what we were gifted with was 2 hours of wonderful, amazing, heart touching, genuine information, tools and strategies to help our children and families who enter our doors daily seeking love, acceptance and guidance. You are authentic and needed in this world. You are truth wrapped in tenderness and acceptance. You are a rare gem in a cluttered profession. You are an advocate for each special journey. You are a blessing from God to all His hurting people. You rock sweetheart.
Thanks so much for being you.
Jan Scheffers
