Hello! I'm Michele.
I’m a therapist who works with adults navigating anxiety, overwhelm, burnout, emotional intensity, and life transitions. I also support people who are trying to better understand themselves, shift long-standing patterns, and build a more grounded relationship with their emotions and daily lives. Before becoming a therapist, I spent time working in social justice and community-based settings, which continues to shape how I think about people’s experiences in context, not in isolation. I believe many of the struggles we bring into therapy are understandable responses to stress, environment, and lived experience.
In my work, I primarily use Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an evidence-based approach that focuses on building practical skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, relationships, and mindfulness.
I also integrate trauma-informed, LGBTQIA+ affirming, body-positive, sex-positive, and anti-oppressive perspectives.
My goal is to create a space where people feel respected, understood, and not pathologized for their experiences.Therapy with me tends to be collaborative and grounded. We don’t just talk about what’s going on, we also focus on building tools that help you feel more capable and supported in your day-to-day life.
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Specialties
I work with adults in the following areas:
Low Motivation
Little interest or joy
Ambivalence toward life
Anxiety
Constant Worrying
Catastrophizing
Relationship Stressors
Parenting Stressors
Boundaries and Communication
Life Transitions
Grief
Acceptance/Denial
Negative Self-Talk
Identity
Relationship to Self
Burnout
Overwhelm
Avoidance
Experience
I received my Master's in Clinical Social Work from Seattle University and have experience working with clients across a range of settings and levels of care, including community outpatient, intensive outpatient (IOP), and partial hospitalization (PHP) programs. I have received formal training and am certified in DBT and as a Clinical Supervisor. One of the most meaningful experiences in my clinical career was developing and leading a DBT program within an IOP/PHP setting, where I built the program from the ground up and supervised a team of therapists.
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Prior to becoming a therapist, I spent over a decade working in community-building and social justice initiatives, experiences that continue to shape my approach to therapy today. I served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with a food bank, worked in bicycle advocacy and education to increase access and equity, and participated in a cross-country cycling and service project from Providence, Rhode Island to Seattle, Washington, helping build homes with Habitat for Humanity while raising awareness and funds for affordable housing initiatives.
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These experiences deepened my understanding of the ways that our relationships, communities, identities, and environments shape our wellbeing. They also reinforced my belief in the importance of connection, resilience, and meeting people with compassion and respect for their unique experiences.
