
"In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity."
- Albert Einstein
Nicholas B. Liappis, LPC, NCC, ACS licensed counselor offering a professional helping hand to children, adolescents, adults and families for 20 years!

About Me
I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor native to Northern Virginia and for 20 years I’ve had the incredible opportunity to use my training, skills and experience to try to make a positive difference in the lives of many people, from young children to adults and from many different walks of life. By meeting people where they are, and not where they are expected to be, I empower my clients to lift themselves up to a place in life where they want to be. For children / teens who are too young to know, I work through play to shape behaviors and elicit their inherent strengths that will increase the odds of them discovering their potential of who they can become.
I help my clients turn difficulties into opportunities for personal growth and a more satisfying and rewarding life through promoting positive change. Through the use of individualized strengths-based and solution-focused interventions, I help my clients identify and achieve their goals for treatment, while measuring progress along the way.
It takes courage to acknowledge a problem and to face it head on, but you are worthy of living your best life! I have the knowledge, training and experience to lend a professional helping hand.
Where I Work
The Arbor Center is a well-established group private practice of independent practitioners in downtown Fairfax, VA.
I work at The Arbor Center, PLC on weekends and select evenings. Located blocks away from historic downtown Fairfax, in the Mosby Tower building, The Arbor Center offers quiet comfortable offices with a large waiting room, and a children's "nook" for children to play while waiting.
Click on the logo to visit The Arbor Center website, or click here.
Areas of Specialty
Note: Because child and adolescent behavior problems are often a function or an extension of problems within their family or home unit, proper assessment of parents’ and family functioning is essential. The younger the child, the more likely it will be that parent (and possibly other sibling) participation and involvement in the treatment process will be necessary.
Children
Anger problems / Behavior problems / Trauma and PTSD / Grief and loss / ADHD / Anxiety / Poor social skills / Depression / Low self esteem / Anxiety / School avoidance / Bullying behavior or victimization / Video game “addiction”/ Physical and sexual abuse victimization
Adolescents
All the above, with the addition of:
Drug and alcohol use (most commonly marijuana) / Addiction / Stress management / Oppositional behavior / Truancy / Suicidal thoughts & gestures / Self-harming thoughts & gestures / Gender identity issues / Sexual identity issues / LGBTQ difficulties / Body image issues / Law-breaking behavior / School problems / Social media “addiction”
Young Adults
All the above, with the addition of:
Transition of life issues / Work problems / Independent living skills
Adults
All the above, with the addition of:
Family conflict / Parenting problems
PLEASE NOTE: I do not specialize in the areas of marital / couples counseling, child custody competency evaluation, or Eating Disorders.
