About Michelle
Michelle Bonner is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 17 years of experience helping people facing stress and anxiety. She offers a direct, calm approach and focuses on building practical skills. Parents and caregivers often seek her help for family and parenting strains, low self-esteem, and major life transitions.
She listens without judgment and adapts conversations to each person. Sessions are collaborative and aim to make small, useful changes.
Background and approach
Michelle uses everyday language and clear steps so people can try techniques between meetings. Her background includes work with trauma, mood concerns, and complex family situations such as adoption, blended family dynamics, and caregiver stress. She also addresses communication problems, prejudice and discrimination, and the effects of past family relationships.
Michelle draws on methods like cognitive behavioral strategies, mindfulness practices, and solution-focused planning to help people manage symptoms and set reachable goals. Trauma-focused work is offered when past events are affecting daily life. The focus is on what clients want to change and on building tools that fit their routines.
Sessions may use a mix of talking, skill practice, and simple exercises to reduce anxiety, improve coping, and strengthen family interactions. She works in California and conducts sessions in English.
Approaches for online anxiety and family work
Michelle commonly uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. CBT is practical and often includes short exercises to practice between sessions, which can reduce anxiety and improve mood.She also uses mindfulness methods that teach simple breathing and awareness practices. These tools help people notice tension, slow down reaction patterns, and handle stress in the moment.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and then try methods that fit their life. Decisions about pacing and techniques are made together so the plan feels manageable and relevant.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more accessible. Video lets people use visual cues and role-play skills. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and can fit into a short break. Live chat and messaging can work for quick check-ins, tracking progress, or when writing out thoughts helps. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around busy schedules.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Parenting issues
Also listed
- Adoption and foster care
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Domestic violence
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 17 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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