About Michelle
Michelle Clisby is a licensed clinical social worker in California with 15 years of experience. She focuses on everyday struggles like relationship strain, low self-esteem, depression, stress, and anxiety. Michelle emphasizes a welcoming space where people can talk honestly and feel heard.
She helps people sort through family conflicts, parenting pressures, and life transitions. Sessions also address grief, addiction concerns, and intimacy-related questions in straightforward terms. Michelle listens for what matters most and works with each person to set useful goals.
Background and approach
Her approach is practical and collaborative. She uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to reduce symptoms and build coping skills. Michelle shares concrete tools that can be practiced between sessions to make daily life easier.
People come to her for help with communication problems, career stress, caregiving strain, and decision points like separation or blended family challenges. She also supports those facing trauma, bipolar-related concerns, or compassion fatigue from demanding roles. Michelle aims to make beginning therapy simple.
She encourages small steps, honest conversation, and steady progress rather than quick fixes. The tone in sessions is direct but compassionate, focused on practical change and clearer next steps.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Michelle uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on skill building and symptom reduction. One approach emphasizes identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with practical exercises to ease anxiety and depression. This helps people notice patterns and try alternatives in everyday situations.Another common approach centers on behavioral change through small, manageable steps. It involves breaking larger goals into concrete actions, tracking progress, and adjusting plans when needed. This style is useful for stress, addiction concerns, motivation, and coping with life changes.
Choosing the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will talk about a person's goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't worked before. Together they will try techniques, review results, and adapt the plan so it fits the person's life and needs.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video is good for conversation that benefits from face-to-face contact, while phone calls can work when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and messaging let people check in between sessions or fit brief updates into a busy day. These options help therapy fit into work, caregiver duties, or other commitments without sacrificing continuity of care.
Questions people ask
What issues does she help with?
What is her therapy style like?
How long has she practiced?
Where is she licensed and based?
In what language can I speak with her?
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
What session formats are available?
How is cost handled and how do I start?
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Parenting issues
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self-love
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
- Experience
- 15 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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