Michelle Durham

Michelle Durham is a licensed professional counselor in Washington, DC who helps people facing stress, career questions, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, and grief. She offers straightforward support for addiction, trauma, compassion fatigue, self-esteem, and intimacy issues. Michelle brings nearly two decades of experience in mental health to her work and centers care on each person's needs and goals.

She draws on a client-centered, strength-based approach and uses practical techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and solution-focused work. Michelle weaves cultural context and life circumstances into sessions to make interventions fit each person’s reality. She emphasizes self-care and helps people create realistic daily plans that support recovery and balance.

Michelle’s background includes long-term service in nonprofit and community settings. She has worked with people dealing with severe and persistent mental health conditions, homelessness, substance use, domestic violence, and involvement with the justice and foster care systems. That experience shaped her ability to navigate complex life challenges and to offer concrete coping strategies.

In sessions she aims to be warm, approachable, and collaborative. She believes the client sets the pace and that therapy works best when it respects individual values and cultural identity. Michelle also uses narrative practices to help people reframe difficult stories and ACT-based ideas to clarify personal values and goals.

People who want practical tools, honest conversation, and a focus on rebuilding routines often find her style helpful. To begin, prospective clients can follow the site’s intake flow to match and schedule a first session.

How Michelle’s approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small, value-driven steps. It can be useful for career decisions, anxiety, and coping with life changes by focusing on action rather than perfect feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behavior and teaches concrete skills to shift unhelpful patterns. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, and managing stress. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes an attentive, nonjudgmental listening stance and supports people in finding their own answers through reflective conversation.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to try techniques and see what fits their goals and daily life. Sessions can include skill practice, values work, and narrative exercises to reframe difficult experiences, with the client guiding the pace and focus.

The profile does not list specific session formats here, so confirm available options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, shorten check-ins when needed, and remove commute time so appointments are more practical. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT, CBT, and client-centered work to an online setting while focusing on useful tools and real-world routines rather than abstract theory.