Nicole Hess recently completed her Touchstone Foundation Mental Health Clinical Fellowship.
Her story highlights the importance of mentorship, financial support, and supervision in helping emerging counselors in Lancaster County achieve their licensure.
From Nursing to Counseling in Africa
Nicole began her career in healthcare as a nurse, eventually taking her nursing skills overseas to the Republic of South Sudan in central Africa, where she worked as a community health nurse at the Loreto Girls Secondary School, a private Catholic school dedicated to offering young girls protection and education. Here, she experienced the profound impact of trauma on young women who had endured civil war, gender-based violence, and early marriage, which opened her eyes to the need for mental health care.
Nicole remembers her time in South Sudan as transformative, not only for the students she worked with but also for her own understanding of resilience. “The young ladies I worked with had experienced an immense amount of pain, and they were still working toward a better life,” Nicole explains.
To better support the students, Nicole completed a one-week trauma healing course in Nairobi, Kenya, which gave her foundational tools to begin providing basic counseling. She facilitated group therapy sessions with the students, helping them to share their experiences and connect with others who had lived through similar struggles. “What really stood out to me was the power of telling their stories to others who understood them. Their perseverance in the face of such hardship was incredible,” she says.
Mental Health Care in the U.S.
Nicole’s experiences in South Sudan ignited a deeper interest in understanding trauma from a psychosocial perspective, driving her to pursue a more formal education in mental health care upon her return to the U.S.
“I wanted to be able to serve people better in a more holistic way,” she emphasizes, “and that’s what led me to pursue my Master of Social Work at Widener University.” Today, Nicole helps clients in Lancaster County through her role at Matters of the Heart Counseling. It was here that her supervisor, founder Karen Mummau, introduced her to the Touchstone Foundation Mental Health Clinical Fellowship.
Nicole is candid about the financial challenges that many emerging counselors face on the path to licensure, noting that the cost of supervision can be a significant burden for those just starting their careers. “Some people in private practice have to pay for supervision out of pocket,” she explains. “The Touchstone Foundation Mental Health Clinical Fellowship was an incredible opportunity because it provided funding for my supervision hours. This was a game-changer for me as I was building my caseload and trying to make a living. To have a local program that’s invested in supporting mental health practitioners was a huge blessing.”
The fellowship not only provided financial assistance but also offered invaluable monthly educational sessions that connected Nicole with other local practitioners. “It was such a privilege to be part of a community where we could share knowledge and continue learning,” she says. “Touchstone brought in speakers to address tough topics, and it created a space where we could collaborate and grow as professionals.”
Reflecting on what the fellowship has meant to her, Nicole emphasizes how it removed potential barriers to her professional development. Without it, she would have had to negotiate supervision costs with her employer or pay for them herself, which she admits would have been a financial strain. “Touchstone really cleared the path for me,” she says. “It saved me from having to go through a lot of headaches.”
Touchstone’s Impact on Mental Health
Nicole is also passionate about the broader impact that the Touchstone Foundation has on the community. Beyond helping practitioners like herself, she praises the foundation’s Mental Health Access Assistance Program, which provides grants for families who need financial help with therapy co-pays.
“One of the biggest barriers for people getting the help they need is often financial,” Nicole explains. “Touchstone’s holistic approach to breaking down those barriers is incredibly encouraging.”
Looking back, Nicole feels an immense sense of gratitude for the support she received through the fellowship. “I would absolutely recommend the Touchstone Foundation to other practitioners,” she says. “It’s more than just financial assistance—it’s about being part of a community that’s committed to making mental health care accessible and supporting those of us who are working to serve the people who need it most.”
Nicole is now preparing to sit for her Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) exam, confident that her experiences through the fellowship have set her up for success.
