Michael Knapik, LPC, LCMHC

Michael Knapik is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) based in Vermont. He brings 18 years of experience in mental health work and a long prior career in journalism, and he aims to help people recognize and use their own strengths in everyday life.

He uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) alongside acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and client-centered techniques. Sessions focus on practical skills and clear goals, such as managing anxiety, reducing panic symptoms, addressing sleep problems, and coping with depression or bipolar mood swings.

Michael also works with people facing addictions, grief and loss, trauma and abuse, and compassion fatigue. He has a background that includes hospice volunteering, which informs his approach to end-of-life concerns, caregiver stress, and related issues.

Therapy with him tends to be collaborative and straightforward. He listens for strengths, helps set small, achievable steps, and teaches strategies people can practice between sessions. He may draw on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and existential ideas when they fit the person’s goals.

Clients can expect a calm, practical clinician who emphasizes self-compassion and steady progress. Michael encourages people to notice what’s working in their lives and build on those resources while addressing problems such as anger, relationship challenges, isolation, and process or substance addictions.

How cognitive and acceptance-based methods work online

CBT focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical techniques for changing unhelpful patterns. It is often used for anxiety, panic, depression, sleep problems, and many mood-related concerns and gives clear homework exercises to practice between sessions.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to notice thoughts without getting tangled in them and to move toward what matters most. ACT can help with stress, chronic anxiety, grief, and issues where values and life purpose matter. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and the person’s own goals as the center of the work.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what techniques feel useful, and then adapt methods collaboratively. That means trying practical tools, checking what helps, and shifting course when something isn’t a good fit.

Online sessions are available as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video calls are useful for face-to-face conversation and skill demonstrations. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and can be easier for quick check-ins. Live chat and text messaging are handy for brief updates, ongoing support, or when writing feels more comfortable. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules and different day-to-day needs.