A Heart-to-Heart with My School Therapist
Welcome back to the CIS POP QUIZ! This is a regular, yet totally unexpected feature where we ask students, parents, staff, our friends, and partners to answer a few questions about what they are learning, reading, and thinking about.
Today, we’re putting a fun twist on our usual pop quiz! This time, we’ve flipped the script—our Always In For Kids Ambassador, Audrey, takes the lead by interviewing CIS School-Based Therapist, Nicky Aiello.
Audrey told us that her relationship with Miss Nicky is very important to her and said “I like someone to talk to. Sometimes I just don’t want to talk to other people (family, friends) and I have Ms. Nicky. She makes me feel better and if you’re happy, the universe is going to give that back”.
Well … Audrey had a lot of great questions for Ms. Nicky. Let’s get started!
Audrey: “How long have you been in this role?”
Ms. Nicky: This is my third year in school-based therapy. I got my Masters “later in life” and I previously worked with the VIP team at CIS, so I have actually been with CIS a lot longer.
Audrey: Did you ever want to do anything else?
Ms. Nicky: I initially went to college to be an opera singer! I got my start in Kalamazoo working for several youth serving non-profit organizations, then finally landing at CIS.
Audrey: How long have you been with Communities In Schools?
Ms. Nicky: I have been here ten years!
Audrey: What’s hard about your role?
Ms. Nicky: I was very intentional about choosing KPS. I love the schools, the students, and the community. Working directly with KPS students has taught me how to be more patient, flexible and helps me to consider all the individual challenges that the students face each and every day. I am very lucky to have the opportunity to serve this community. Also, I like being someone in the school who a student can turn to in a crisis or when they are in need of someone to talk to. Having that trust is paramount to a student’s growth.
Audrey: Do you ever get upset?
Ms. Nicky: Sure. It affects me but I am always learning because each situation is unique.
Audrey: What do you like about what you do?
Ms. Nicky: Building relationships and watching students grow. It’s an absolute joy to develop personal relationships with students, staff, parents and really getting to learn more about them.
Audrey: What are some things you like to use in your sessions with students?
Ms. Nicky: Self-soothing is a method I like to use to teach a person how to calm themselves down. I use more of a person-centered therapy with my students and I like creating a safe place for them. Play therapy is something I am learning more about with my younger students. By letting the student play you can look for certain things and interpret what their play interactions mean – it is very interesting and I am learning a lot.
Thank you, Audrey and Ms. Nicky, for hanging out with us at Ask Me About My 12,000 Kids!
During the 2024-2025 school year (through April 2025), Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo provided 2,793 mental health sessions for students. In April alone, CIS provided mental health sessions for 204 students. These sessions were provided by our two school-based therapists and private partners in Kalamazoo. Thank you to our supporters and partners for providing children in Kalamazoo the opportunity to access therapy support where they are—in school.
