Michelle Ho
I’m Michelle, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, ADHD, burnout, major life transitions, perfectionism, people-pleasing, relationships, and questions around identity and belonging. I have a particular interest in working with first-generation individuals, children of immigrants, and Asian Americans navigating the intersections of culture, identity, family, and emotional well-being. My approach is what I like to call “soft but strong.” I want therapy to be a space where you feel safe enough to slow down, reflect, explore your thoughts and feelings, and simply be yourself—especially if you’ve spent much of your life being the one who was told you were “mature for your age,” the responsible one, or the one who always had it together. At the same time, I believe growth sometimes asks us to step outside of what feels comfortable. I’ll offer support and validation while also providing grounding, gentle challenge, and accountability when it feels helpful. I integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Solution-Focused and Strengths-Based approaches. Most importantly, I want to meet you where you are and work alongside you to create a space where you can better understand yourself, recognize your strengths, and grow into who you want to be—on your own terms.
First session
Your first session is an opportunity for us to get to know each other and begin understanding what brings you to therapy. We’ll talk about what has been feeling difficult or painful lately, what you’re hoping to get out of therapy, and what you’d like support with. I’ll ask some gentle questions to learn more about your history, experiences, strengths, and goals, while giving you space to share what feels most important to you. If you’re new to therapy, you don’t need to know exactly what to say or where to begin. There’s no expectation that you have everything figured out, and no pressure to share more than you’re ready to. More than anything, I hope you leave your first session feeling heard, understood, and a little less alone. I want you to have a sense that you’ve found a space where you can be yourself, where your experiences are welcome, and where we can begin figuring things out together. Your first session is just that—the beginning of a collaborative process that we’ll shape together at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
Strengths
One of the biggest strengths I bring to therapy is my ability to balance compassion with gentle challenge. I think of my approach as “soft but strong.” I want you to feel heard, understood, and accepted first and foremost. I believe that feeling safe enough to be honest and fully yourself is an important foundation for meaningful growth. At the same time, I don’t believe therapy needs to be only a place to vent. Sometimes we need someone to sit with us and hold space; other times, we need a little encouragement, perspective, or a gentle nudge forward. I’m comfortable doing both. Depending on what you need, I may slow down and simply be present with you, or I may ask a thoughtful question, offer a different perspective, or help you identify a next step. My own experiences with perfectionism, people-pleasing, burnout, and navigating life as a first-generation daughter of immigrants have shaped the way I understand the many layers that influence how we see ourselves and move through the world. These experiences have taught me to approach people with curiosity rather than assumptions and to recognize that our challenges and our strengths are often deeply connected to our identities, relationships, cultures, and life experiences. Ultimately, I want you to know that you don't have to figure everything out on your own. I’m here to walk alongside you—with compassion, honesty, and a grounded sense of accountability—as you work toward a life that feels more authentic and aligned with who you are.
Ideal clients
The client I am able to best support is someone who is looking for a space to slow down, reflect, and better understand themselves. You may be insightful and self-aware, but still find yourself feeling stuck, overwhelmed, anxious, burned out, or unsure of what comes next. Maybe you’re used to being the one who has it together, and now you’re realizing that you need a space where you don’t always have to be “the strong one.” You may be navigating a major life transition, questions around identity or relationships, perfectionism, people-pleasing, family or cultural expectations, or simply feeling disconnected from yourself. You don’t need to have everything figured out before starting therapy. What matters most is that you’re open to reflecting, curious about yourself, and motivated to make changes in a way that feels authentic to you. I believe therapy is most meaningful when we can work collaboratively and at a pace that respects where you are. My hope is to meet you where you’re at, help you make sense of what you’re experiencing, and support you in moving toward the life and version of yourself that feels right for you—not someone else’s definition of who you should be.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT helps us explore the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In our work together, we may look at patterns in the way you talk to yourself, interpret situations, or respond when you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or stuck. Together, we can identify patterns that may no longer be serving you and explore more balanced and helpful ways of thinking and responding. For example, if perfectionism or people-pleasing is making it difficult to set boundaries, we might explore the thoughts and fears underneath those patterns and practice responding to yourself and others in a different way. My goal isn’t to tell you to “just think positively,” but to help you better understand your patterns and develop tools that feel realistic and aligned with who you are.
Culturally Sensitive Therapy
Culturally responsive therapy means recognizing that your identity, culture, family, and life experiences are an important part of understanding who you are and what you’re going through. I don’t believe therapy should ask you to separate yourself from these parts of your identity. As a first-generation daughter of immigrants, I understand that experiences such as family expectations, cultural values, identity, belonging, and the roles we take on within our families can shape how we understand ourselves and navigate the world. In our work together, we can explore these experiences openly and without judgment, including the ways they may create challenges as well as the strengths they have helped you develop. My goal is to understand your experiences from your perspective rather than making assumptions about what your culture or identity means to you. We’ll make space for the complexities and sometimes conflicting feelings that can come with navigating multiple identities, relationships, and expectations.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
At the heart of my approach is the belief that you are the expert on your own life. Person-centered therapy means creating a space where you can feel heard, understood, and accepted without judgment. You don’t have to come into therapy knowing exactly what you need or having everything figured out. I’ll meet you where you are and give you room to slow down, reflect, and explore what you’re experiencing at your own pace. For someone who has spent a lot of time being the responsible one, the “mature” one, or the person who takes care of everyone else, therapy can be a place where you don’t have to perform or have it all together. I believe meaningful growth can happen when we feel safe enough to be honest about who we are. My role is to walk alongside you with curiosity, compassion, and understanding while helping you discover what feels authentic and meaningful to you.
Strength-Based
Strengths-based therapy means that we don’t only focus on what’s difficult—we also pay attention to the strengths, abilities, values, and experiences that have helped you get through difficult things. Sometimes the qualities that contribute to our struggles can also point us toward our strengths. For example, being highly responsible may contribute to perfectionism or burnout, but it may also reflect dedication, thoughtfulness, or a strong sense of responsibility toward the people you care about. People-pleasing may have helped you maintain relationships or navigate difficult environments, even if it no longer feels helpful now. Together, we can explore both sides of these patterns: what may be getting in your way and what strengths are already within you. My goal is to help you recognize and build on those strengths so that growth feels less like becoming a completely different person and more like becoming more fully yourself.
Location
Virtual sessions