Michelle Wendel, LMFT

Michelle Wendel is a licensed marriage and family therapist with ten years of experience helping adults face stress, anxiety, parenting challenges, career changes, and big life transitions. She focuses on practical steps people can use right away and keeps explanations plain and direct. Michelle works with issues like self-esteem, coping with change, and finding purpose in midlife.

In sessions she listens first and then helps clients set realistic goals. She adapts her approach to each person rather than following one fixed method. Conversations are aimed at understanding daily patterns and testing small changes that make life feel more manageable.

Michelle uses tools from cognitive behavioral therapy to spot unhelpful thoughts and reshape them into more useful patterns. She also draws on acceptance and commitment therapy to help people clarify values and act toward what matters most. Client-centered techniques help keep the work grounded in each person’s lived experience.

Her background includes ten years working with adults on issues from divorce and grief to workplace stress and parenting strains. Michelle also supports people dealing with aging and geriatric concerns, pregnancy and childbirth transitions, and challenges tied to forgiveness, guilt, and codependency.

People who choose Michelle can expect a calm, straightforward style that balances practical strategies with emotional support. She invites clients to try approaches and notice what helps, then adjust the plan together as needed.

CBT and ACT approaches adapted for online work

Michelle uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help clients notice and change thought patterns that get in the way of daily life. CBT sessions often focus on concrete skills such as tracking automatic thoughts, testing beliefs, and practicing new behaviors between meetings.

She also integrates acceptance and commitment therapy, which helps people clarify their values and take meaningful action even when difficult emotions are present. ACT is useful for worries, stress, and decisions about work or relationships. Client-centered methods shape the conversation so clients set the pace and goals for their work together.

Finding the right approach is part of the process and Michelle treats it as a collaboration. She will discuss options, try methods that fit the client's needs, and adjust the plan based on what proves most helpful. Clients are encouraged to give feedback so sessions stay practical and relevant.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video allows for face-to-face conversation and skills practice, while phone sessions can be quicker check-ins or work better when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and messaging support shorter updates, homework check-ins, and ongoing encouragement between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and keep progress moving forward.