Michele Lando, LCSW

Michele Lando is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who uses practical, evidence-informed methods to help people manage grief, low self-esteem, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and LGBT-related concerns. Michele draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as part of an approach that looks at thoughts, feelings, and behaviors together. The tone in sessions is collaborative and down-to-earth. Michele has 13 years of clinical experience practicing in California. Work blends talk-based techniques with body-focused strategies when helpful. Michele pays attention to attachment patterns and relationship dynamics to understand how early experiences shape current struggles. Sessions often include skill-building such as managing difficult thoughts, improving emotion regulation, and strengthening coping strategies. Michele also uses narrative and client-centered methods to help people make meaning out of loss and change. For people who face ongoing stress like caregiving or chronic illness, practical pacing and self-care strategies are emphasized. Michele is affirming of LGBTQIA identities and understands neurodivergence, including twice-exceptional and autistic or ADHD profiles. That experience informs how goals and interventions are tailored to each person’s needs and strengths. The work aims to increase resilience and a stronger sense of self. Michele helps people identify strengths, practice new behaviors, and try small changes between sessions. This approach makes progress feel manageable and focused on real-life challenges.

How Michele blends CBT and attachment work online

Online sessions use a mix of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy along with attachment-focused ideas. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and teaches practical skills to reduce distress and improve daily functioning. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and choose actions that align with their values, which can be useful for motivation, chronic stress, and caregiving challenges. Attachment-based work focuses on patterns in relationships and helps people build more secure ways of relating to others and themselves.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Michele will discuss goals and preferences during early sessions and adjust methods based on what feels helpful. Together the therapist and client decide whether to emphasize skill-building, values work, or relational exploration at any point in therapy.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls allow for deeper conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can fit into a busy day when video is difficult, and live chat or messaging work well for brief check-ins, mood tracking, or trying out short coaching-style prompts. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or health routines while keeping treatment focused on daily life and practical change.