Todd Nelson grew up in Central Illinois and continues to live there. He began his working life as a millwright and carpenter, but when the job market declined in the early 1980s he returned to school and, with a wife and child to support, joined the U.S. Air Force to help with expenses.

He served during Desert Storm and completed ten years of active duty before leaving the military. While completing a master’s degree in counseling, Todd worked as an on-call therapist for an outpatient mental health clinic, later becoming a full-time therapist at that clinic. He then worked as a therapist in an inpatient facility serving youth, returned to his former outpatient clinic after a few years, and in 2009 accepted a full-time position as a mental health professional with the Illinois Department of Corrections. In total, he has 30 years of experience in the mental health field.

His counseling style is straightforward and client-focused. He uses a person-centered, solution-focused approach and prefers practical conversation over clinical jargon. He often describes his role with a simple metaphor – everyone has their own ship to sail through life, and his job is to help the captain navigate.

Todd works with a wide range of concerns, including stress, anxiety, grief, self-esteem, depression, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, sleeping disorders, parenting issues, anger management, bipolar disorder, and coping with life changes. He is licensed in Illinois as a clinical professional counselor; his license number is 180.003983.

He is currently accepting new clients but does not have evening availability. Prospective clients should indicate preferred meeting times rather than scheduling appointments directly, since Todd manages his own calendar. He enjoys motorcycling and woodworking when he is away from his clinical work and welcomes inquiries from those interested in starting therapy.