Michelle Lakefield, LPC

Michelle Lakefield is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in New Jersey with over 20 years of experience. She focuses on helping people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, and relationship or intimacy concerns. She aims to make it easier to talk about hard things by offering a calm, nonjudgmental space.

Her sessions center on listening first and then building practical steps together. Michelle uses client-centered work to follow what matters most to each person. She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to spot unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors.

Many clients come with life changes, parenting strain, caregiver stress, or struggles linked to trauma and mood differences. Michelle also supports people dealing with ADHD, eating concerns, compassion fatigue, and issues tied to family of origin. She helps people sort through communication problems, codependency, and difficulties after separation.

Therapy with her tends to be collaborative and goal-focused. She works with clients to set clear, manageable goals and to track small changes over time. Sessions often include practical exercises and straightforward talk about what to try between appointments.

Michelle encourages anyone who feels stuck or drained to take a first step. To begin, follow the site’s process to match with her and schedule a time to meet and see if the approach fits your needs.

How her approaches work in online therapy

Michelle uses Client-Centered Therapy to follow what matters most to each person, offering a listening, empathetic stance that helps clients name their concerns and priorities. This approach is helpful for people who need a space to be heard and to clarify what they want to change.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to identify patterns of thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. CBT introduces practical experiments and exercises to try between meetings, which can be helpful for anxiety, low mood, and stress-related worries.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. She will talk with clients about goals, preferences, and day-to-day needs, and then try methods that fit. That process is collaborative and adjusted as progress is made.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm which formats are offered before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people keep continuity of care if they move or travel, while still focusing on practical steps and real-life changes.