Michaela Seeley
Michaela Seeley
(she/her)
Hello! My name is Michaela Seeley and I'm a licensed professional counselor. I specialize in working with adults navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, and addiction. There is no hierarchy in treatment. You provide the lived experience and I provide the knowledge on how to process what you’re going through to cope with symptoms effectively. Because of this, I take a collaborative approach to treatment. I recognize that change can be terrifying and because of this, I emphasize a united approach. I have always been guided by the phrase "we do the best we can with the tools we have" and encourage my clients to establish that mantra in treatment. I'm here to help you build new tools, rediscover your resilience, and feel more empowered in your healing journey.
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
The first session would be a casual interaction to not only get a general understanding of what you're struggling with, but also the "background information". This "background information" includes family dynamics, interpersonal relationships, likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc. The goal of the first session is to create a safe environment that makes you desire to show up to session. We will not be processing anything in the first session, but rather getting to know one another to establish a therapeutic relationship.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I provide a space that's real, safe, and non-judgemental--with just enough structure and wit to keep things moving. I believe appropriate self-disclosure helps maintain genuineness and connection with my clients. I will not ask my clients to unburden themselves without the support of a clinician that is open about their experiences as well. Language is an important focus of mine and I help my clients restructure how they speak about themselves and in turn, how they view themselves at the end of the day.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I am positioned to serve clients who are self-aware, emotionally stuck, and ready to change--even if they're scared of it. I work best with clients who take on a learning perspective. Clients' concerns that I'm best positioned to serve would be trauma survivors, adults struggling with anxiety, depression, or emotional overwhelm, people in recovery or struggling with addiction-related challenges, neurodivergent adults who feel misunderstood or burnt out, and clients dealing with shame, self-blame, or perfectionism. Clients' mindsets that I'm best positioned to serve would be insightful, but overwhelmed, high-functioning on the outside, but emotionally exhausted on the inside, committed to growth, even if they feel resistant, skeptical, or scared, and those looking for both compassion and clarity. Clients' therapy goals I'm best positioned to serve would be goals centered around making peace with their past without feeling defined by it, building healthier relationships with themselves and others, letting go of shame and reclaiming their sense of worth, and developing tools to cope without numbing, avoiding, or spiraling.
About Michaela Seeley
I identify as
Serves ages
Licensed in
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Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I help adults upgrade their emotional toolkits using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Whether you’re stuck in survival mode or just tired of spiraling, I’m here to help you stop white-knuckling life and start living it. We focus on becoming more educated in the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in accordance with the goals you've chosen to help life feel worth living. We identify automatic thoughts and distorted belief systems that may be limiting your potential. We learn how to challenge and reframe negative/irrational thoughts and create new pathways that motivate you towards goal attainment. We test out new behaviors and beliefs through experiences outside of session. Treatment work is a focus as well so that the client can practice skills outside of session.
Cognitive Processing (CPT)
We focus on how trauma disrupts beliefs about yourself, others, and the world. We become educated on the effects of trauma and how they impact thoughts and feelings. We do writing assignments about how trauma has impacted beliefs in regards to safety, trust, power/control, self-esteem, and intimacy. We do this to identify "stuck points" and use techniques to challenge these stuck points. At the end of treatment, we will re-write our impact statement with healthier beliefs and reflect on the progress, growing, healing, and flexible thinking that gets obtained through treatment.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
I find the person-centered approach as a crucial part of the therapeutic relationship. As your therapist, I accept you fully without judgement, criticism, or conditions of worth. The goal with this approach is to create safety with my clients and a space where they feel valued simply for existing. I deeply listen to my clients to understand their internal world from their perspective. I emphasize genuineness in my sessions. To do so, I present myself real, transparent, and human (no robotic talk). I allow my clients to lead the exploration of themselves and don't provide much of an agenda with that. It allows the client to feel in control of their treatment, as it's supposed to be. This "method" focuses on establishing a healthy, safe, and enjoyable the therapeutic relationship.