LPC, 7 years of experience
I have worked in outpatient mental health therapy for six years, seeing clients in person or via telehealth, and remain active in my community serving in free support groups and mental health education. I enjoy answering questions about what to expect in therapy and finding meaningful connections and hope to break down the stigma of seeking formal help and treatment. Most of all, I appreciate the honesty that can happen in therapy and I believe that the most difficult person to be honest with—is ourselves.
This is the ideal starting point in the therapy and counseling process, especially if you feel unsure if the distress you're experiencing is “what therapy is for.” I use a flexible approach in screening for undiagnosed mental health disorders and collaborating on your diagnostic history to identify any built up anxiety, underlying trauma, attachment wounds, unresolved grief, or conflict contributing to your current distress. Often, our survival mode has been driving our routines and relationships for years and it’s a difficult change to take a seat in therapy and find a safe, healthy way to process the things we’ve simply tried to push through on our own.
Over the years, I have worked as a PA certified alcohol and drug counselor in inpatient detox and rehab co-occurring mental health units. I have co-facilitated trauma yoga groups for women, and provided on-campus college counseling sessions, mental health education and awareness, and anxiety yoga groups. I volunteer in the community to provide free mental health and grief support groups.
I specialize in general mental health and wellness assessment, OCD and anxiety disorders with adults and children, and have worked extensively with complicated grief, life changes, parenting challenges, stress, disordered eating, and adjustment and trauma disorders. My approach is tailored completely to your needs in therapy and how your body and brain best process emotions and trauma- which may be a “bottom up” approach with emotion-focused, somatic processing to get out of your overwhelming thoughts and calm your physical stress responses; or using “top down” by addressing stuck thinking, rumination, and negative beliefs through Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) or motivational interviewing to rewire beliefs of safety and find clarity.
I use a flexible approach in screening for undiagnosed mental health disorders and collaborating on your diagnostic history to identify any built up anxiety, underlying trauma, attachment wounds, unresolved grief, or conflict contributing to your current distress. Often, our survival mode has been driving our routines and relationships for years and it’s a difficult change to take a seat in therapy and find a safe, healthy way to process the things we’ve simply tried to push through on our own.
My approach is tailored completely to your needs in therapy and how your body and brain best process emotions and trauma- which may be a “bottom up” approach with emotion-focused, somatic processing to get out of your overwhelming thoughts and calm your physical stress responses.
2 ratings with written reviews
July 30, 2025
Michaela has a calming presence. She will joke with you when you are trying to be humorous, but keeps you directed too.
July 15, 2025
Michaela is compassionate and caring. She is completely present during my sessions and listens fully to what I have to say. She is non-judgmental regarding my trauma and allows me the freedom to be myself. She has a humorous side that matches my own. She is extremely intelligent and very good at explaining how feelings are connected to trauma, which enables me to better understand my anxiety and depression. I highly recommend Michala.