Michelle Olson, LMSW, LCSW

Michelle Olson is a licensed social worker who uses practical methods to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and addiction concerns. She brings 18 years of clinical experience and aims to make the first steps feel less overwhelming for someone seeking change.

She emphasizes cognitive behavioral therapy to help people spot and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. Michelle also draws on client-centered principles to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space where clients set the pace and goals for therapy.

Dialectical behavior therapy skills and mindfulness tools are used when regulation, strong emotions, or relationship patterns become barriers. Motivational interviewing helps people find internal reasons to make and sustain changes when motivation feels low.

Michelle works with issues that often sit under the surface, including abandonment, attachment struggles, codependency, and recurring feelings of emptiness. She also supports people dealing with communication problems, control issues, guilt and shame, and the fallout of drug or alcohol use.

Her approach is straightforward and collaborative. Sessions focus on concrete strategies you can try between meetings, and on tracking what helps and what doesn’t. Michelle is licensed in Indiana and Michigan as an LMSW and LCSW and offers sessions in English.

Practical matters such as scheduling and session format are handled through the therapy platform. She uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time and offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging.

How CBT and Client-Centered Work Online

Michelle commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people identify thought patterns that fuel anxiety, low mood, or addictive behaviors and then try new ways of thinking and acting. CBT is practical and homework-friendly, which often translates well to online sessions where people can practice between meetings.

She also uses client-centered therapy to build a respectful, listening-first relationship. That approach focuses on understanding a person’s experience and letting them set goals, which supports a collaborative choice of techniques. Dialectical behavior therapy skills and mindfulness exercises are added when someone needs tools for strong emotions and better coping.

Finding the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences, and together they decide which methods to try first and how to adjust them over time.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls work well for deeper conversations and skill teaching. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth or hands-free time is needed. Live chat and text messaging are useful for check-ins, short coaching, or when someone prefers not to be on camera. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life while using the same CBT and skills-based approaches as in-person care.