Michelle has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi. She practiced law for 20 years before obtaining a Masters of Social Work from Florida State University in 2017. During her graduate studies, she participated in an International Program to study social work in Prague, Czechoslovakia, focusing on that country’s progressive policies regarding addiction and prostitution. She has worked extensively with groups, individuals, and with couples on a variety of mental health issues. Her patients would tell you she is compassionate, knowledgeable, available and engaging.
Michelle has worked extensively as a seasoned psychotherapist in multiple capacities. She has been a provider in substance abuse residential treatment and intensive outpatient programs, including at the renowned Kolmac Outpatient Recovery Centers. Michelle worked in psychiatric hospital, therapeutic community, and substance abuse recovery residence settings. She uses her experience gained through these settings to help guide her psychotherapy practice to be individualized and meet clients’ needs.
Michelle embraces the strengths-based approach of social work which emphasizes collaboration with a client to identify and utilize the strengths they already possess to achieve the goals that are important to them. Her therapeutic presence is informal, relaxed, compassionate, safe, and generously infused with humor and fun. Her client experiences range from persons with severe mental illnesses to clients with anxiety, depression, mood disorders, substance use disorders, codependency and other relationship issues, low self-esteem, grief and loss, trauma, and existential and other spiritual dilemmas around purpose and meaning.
Michelle is EMDR trained and utilizes this cutting edge protocol for trauma and other issues. Other therapeutic interventions include CBT, Gestalt-type experiential modalities, mindfulness and meditation, motivational interviewing, narrative therapy, and solution focused interventions when lifestyle changes are in order and more practical methods would be useful. She specializes in trauma adhering to the body work intervention models of Bessel Van der Kolk and Eric Gentry.
Michelle loves to scuba dive, hike, and has written three novels!
