- Stress and anxiety
- Career and life purpose
- CBT and DBT skills
About Michelle
Michelle Spencer is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) with 12 years of clinical experience. She is licensed in New York and Minnesota and works with concerns such as stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, career struggles, and young adult issues.
Michelle focuses on straightforward conversation and practical steps. Sessions are oriented around what the client wants to change. She uses talk, problem-solving, and skills practice rather than jargon. The aim is clearer thinking and more usable tools for day-to-day life.
Her approach draws on Client-Centered methods to keep the conversation focused on the client's priorities. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and DBT skills for managing strong emotions. Motivational Interviewing is used when people want help finding reasons to change and staying with new habits.
Michelle has worked across settings for 12 years, helping people manage career pressures, relationship strain, grief, and mood challenges. She also supports those dealing with addictions, ADHD concerns, compassion fatigue, and parenting stress. Her practice includes attention to money and workplace issues and questions about life purpose.
In sessions she talks through concrete strategies, such as breaking problems into manageable steps and rehearsing different ways to respond. People can expect clear feedback and collaborative planning. To begin, she asks about immediate concerns and goals, then builds a plan that fits the client's life.
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the client's priorities and lets the conversation follow what matters most. It helps people clarify goals and feel understood while deciding next steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts affect feelings and behavior and uses exercises to change unhelpful patterns; it is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches practical skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness and can help when strong emotions make everyday tasks harder.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Michelle will collaborate with each person to test what helps and adjust methods based on needs, goals, and personal preferences. That means starting simple, checking how techniques land, and changing course when something isn't working.
Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into school, work, or caregiving schedules. They also allow shorter check-ins when time is limited and let people choose whether to use video or audio depending on comfort and bandwidth. These practical benefits often make it simpler to keep regular appointments and practice skills in daily life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Listed in
Minnesota, New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, career difficulties, young adult issues, and related concerns such as grief, addictions, and ADHD.
What is her style of therapy?
Sessions are practical and client-focused, using conversation, problem solving, and skill practice drawn from Client-Centered, CBT, DBT, and Motivational Interviewing approaches.
How much experience does she have?
She has 12 years of professional work experience supporting people with mood, workplace, and life transition challenges.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds LMHC and LPCC credentials and is licensed in New York and Minnesota. Her practice is based in Minnesota.
Does she offer sessions in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can I work with her from outside the United States?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions scheduled and what is the cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a 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.