- Stress and anxiety
- CBT and narrative
- Mindfulness practice
About Michelle
Michelle Garibaldi is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California with 23 years of clinical experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief, trauma and abuse, depression, addiction, LGBTQ issues, and challenges around intimacy, sleep, parenting, anger, self-esteem, career, ADHD, and life transitions.
Michelle uses practical, straightforward methods in sessions. She helps people clarify goals and pick steps they can try between meetings. Sessions mix conversation with exercises drawn from cognitive behavioral work, narrative approaches, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness practice.
Her style is collaborative and focused on results. She listens, reflects, and then helps a person test new behaviors and thoughts. That might mean trying a new communication script, experimenting with a different daily routine for sleep, or practicing a short mindfulness exercise to reduce anxiety.
Michelle has long experience with family-related concerns such as blended family stress, divorce and separation, communication problems, and fatherhood issues. She also supports people dealing with abandonment, attachment challenges, isolation and life-purpose questions as they move through major life stages.
People who come for help can expect clear goals, practical assignments, and regular check-ins on progress. Michelle draws on several therapy approaches so she can match tools to a person's needs and preferences. To begin, she asks clients to identify priorities and then builds a plan together.
How Michelle’s approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and reflecting back what a person says so goals become clearer. It helps when someone is sorting out values, relationships, or life direction. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings and actions and teaches practical experiments to change unhelpful patterns. CBT is often useful for anxiety, sleep problems, and low mood. Mindfulness Therapy introduces short practices to notice thoughts and sensations without reacting, which can lower reactivity and improve focus.Choosing the right approach is part of the process. Michelle works with clients to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences, adjusting tools as needed. That means trying an approach for a few sessions and reviewing what helps most, rather than committing to a single method up front.
Confirm current session formats before booking so you know what options are offered. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when that suits a week of work or school. If a session without video is needed, phone work can be a practical option for low-bandwidth or brief conversations. Overall the aim is to use approaches and a session rhythm that fit everyday life and the goals you bring.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
23+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She supports adults with stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, depression, addictions, grief, intimacy issues, sleep problems, parenting and career challenges.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is collaborative and action-oriented. She helps people set clear goals and tries techniques they can use between sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 23 years of experience working with adults and families in California.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) licensed in California and practices from that state.
In which language are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the US work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Confirm current session options before booking to learn whether phone or video sessions are offered.
How does pricing and beginning therapy work?
Cost varies with location and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To get started, select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy through BetterHelp is for adults aged 18 and over and is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.