Michelle Fennessy, LCSW

Michelle Fennessy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in Florida with 20 years of experience. She holds a master's degree and has supported people through anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and relationship struggles. She acknowledges how hard the first step can be and offers a steady, matter-of-fact presence to help people start feeling better.

Michelle learned the value of therapy firsthand during her graduate training and says that being a client helped shape her work. She aims to create a space where people can gradually feel safe enough to share what matters to them. She notices strengths early and helps people use those strengths to move forward.

Her clinical work focuses on practical change. She helps people manage addictive or self-destructive behaviors such as binge-eating or over-drinking, and patterns like repeatedly checking an ex on social media. She also works with people facing mid-marriage crises, infidelity, jealousy, and the stress of major life changes.

Michelle draws on approaches that include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Internal Family Systems. In sessions she blends goal-oriented work with attention to feelings and thoughts, aiming to shift unhelpful patterns into more workable ones.

She also brings personal experience living and working abroad, which informs her work with people navigating expatriate life and related stresses. Michelle welcomes conversations that help people name what they want and take clear steps toward it.

How her therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small, value-driven steps despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and testing new behaviors to reduce distress and improve daily functioning. It often helps with anxiety, low mood, and patterns like compulsive checking. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention practices to reduce reactivity and improve emotional balance; it supports stress management and coping with cravings or strong emotions.

Choosing the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist will work collaboratively to try strategies, see what fits, and adjust the plan as needed. Clients and therapist decide together which methods feel most helpful for the person's goals and circumstances.

The original profile does not specify particular online session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow regular check-ins when schedules are tight. Some formats are better for short check-ins or when camera use is difficult, while others suit longer, deeper work. Discussing preferences at the start helps shape a plan that fits everyday routines and therapeutic goals.