About Michelle
Michelle Wenzler is a licensed clinical social worker in California with 15 years of experience. She helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, depression, or major life changes. She also supports those dealing with compassion fatigue and ongoing mood or panic concerns.
Michelle believes people know their own stories and brings a respectful, down-to-earth style to conversations. Sessions focus on practical steps you can try between meetings.
Background and approach
She listens carefully and helps people notice what matters most to them. Her approach blends several evidence-based methods in plain language. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy supports clearer values and small, purposeful actions. Mindfulness work teaches ways to notice thoughts and feelings without getting swept away. She also uses client-centered techniques to keep the work focused on each person’s priorities, and motivational interviewing to help people find the energy to make changes.
These methods are chosen to match what the person wants to work on and how they prefer to move forward. Michelle has experience across aging and geriatric issues, caregiver stress, hospice and end-of-life counseling, and concerns such as body image, isolation, and life purpose. She also supports people facing post-traumatic stress and veteran-related issues.
Her goal is to help people find manageable ways to feel steadier and more engaged in daily life.
Approaches that translate well to online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps toward those values. It reduces struggling with thoughts by teaching committed action that aligns with personal goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying patterns of thinking and behavior and testing simple changes to improve mood and anxiety. It works well for panic, depression, and stress by giving concrete skills to try between sessions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences and then suggest strategies to try. This is a collaborative process where methods are adjusted based on what helps most in real life.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video sessions are useful for in-depth conversations and skill practice. Phone sessions can be easier when internet bandwidth is low or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging are convenient for brief check-ins, tracking progress, or when scheduling shorter sessions. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into busy lives while still using ACT and CBT techniques effectively.
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 15 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English