Michelle Bonner, LMFT

Michelle Bonner is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 17 years of experience in California. She helps people manage stress and anxiety, work through family conflict, and strengthen self-esteem. Parents who are juggling caregiving or blended family concerns can expect practical support. She also addresses trauma, mood concerns, and issues related to adoption and foster care.

Her approach is conversational and straightforward. Sessions focus on what is happening now and what can change. Michelle listens and then suggests steps people can try between sessions. She aims for clear, usable tools rather than long explanations.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a common part of her work. That means identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying different behavior strategies to shift feelings and outcomes. She combines CBT with client-centered methods that prioritize each person’s goals and pace.

Mindfulness techniques are offered to help people notice stress reactions and practice new responses. Trauma-focused methods are included for those coping with past hurt or abuse, with attention to safety and pacing. Solution-focused steps are used when people want shorter-term, goal-directed change.

Michelle describes sessions as collaborative. She helps people set small, achievable goals and checks progress together. Her style is calm and direct, with an emphasis on skills families and individuals can use right away.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Michelle commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in online sessions. CBT involves noticing patterns of thought that feed anxiety or low mood and trying practical experiments to change them; it is useful for stress, anxiety, and mood concerns. Client-centered work focuses on the person’s goals and pace, with the therapist offering active listening and support as clients figure out next steps.

She also brings mindfulness into sessions to teach simple attention and breathing practices that reduce reactivity. These techniques can help people pause before reacting and build new habits over time. When trauma is part of the story, trauma-focused methods are used with careful pacing and attention to what feels manageable for the client.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, try methods that fit those goals, and adjust based on what helps most. That collaborative process helps tailor sessions to real-life needs and preferences.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules. Video lets people work face-to-face when they prefer visual connection. Phone calls or chat can be less bandwidth intensive and useful for brief check-ins or when being on camera is not desired. Text messaging supports quick reflections and reminders between sessions, adding flexibility to the therapeutic process.