- Empathy first
- Practical tools
- Values focused
About Michele
Michele Koenes is a licensed social worker with more than 11 years of clinical experience. She offers a calm, collaborative approach aimed at helping people who are struggling with stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief, mood concerns, and life changes. Michele presents herself as attentive and responsive, letting each person set the pace for therapy while offering steady guidance.
She has practiced in both inpatient and outpatient settings and brings experience with adults and older adults. Before focusing on therapy, Michele worked as a litigation attorney and as a teacher, roles that strengthened her listening, advocacy, and communication skills. Those skills show up in how she structures sessions and supports practical problem solving.
Michele draws on several evidence-informed approaches. She uses techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and from dialectical behavior therapy to build emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills. She also uses acceptance and commitment therapy to help people clarify values and take purposeful steps in their lives.
In sessions she emphasizes empathy and collaboration. Michele aims to create a place where people can bring the parts of their story they find difficult to share, and then work step by step toward clearer goals. She talks in plain language and focuses on strategies that fit each person’s daily life.
People who choose Michele typically want a therapist who listens first, offers concrete tools, and adjusts pace to match individual needs. To get started, she asks new clients to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule based on availability.
She has practiced in both inpatient and outpatient settings and brings experience with adults and older adults. Before focusing on therapy, Michele worked as a litigation attorney and as a teacher, roles that strengthened her listening, advocacy, and communication skills. Those skills show up in how she structures sessions and supports practical problem solving.
Michele draws on several evidence-informed approaches. She uses techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and from dialectical behavior therapy to build emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills. She also uses acceptance and commitment therapy to help people clarify values and take purposeful steps in their lives.
In sessions she emphasizes empathy and collaboration. Michele aims to create a place where people can bring the parts of their story they find difficult to share, and then work step by step toward clearer goals. She talks in plain language and focuses on strategies that fit each person’s daily life.
People who choose Michele typically want a therapist who listens first, offers concrete tools, and adjusts pace to match individual needs. To get started, she asks new clients to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule based on availability.