- Goal focused care
- Sleep and rest concerns
- Evidence informed methods
About Michelle
Michelle Garibaldi is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in California with 23 years of clinical experience. She focuses on common concerns like stress, anxiety, sleep struggles, depression, relationship problems, parenting strain, grief, and issues related to trauma and addiction. She meets people where they are and helps them set clear goals for change.
Her approach is collaborative and straightforward. She listens first, then works with each person to build practical steps they can try between sessions. Michelle uses tools from client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral techniques to help shift unhelpful patterns. She also draws on mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and narrative ideas to support insight and change.
Sessions tend to be active and goal-focused. Michelle helps people track small progress, test new ways of coping, and reframe difficult stories about themselves. For sleep and rest concerns she addresses routines, thoughts that keep people awake, and behaviors that make sleep harder.
Her background includes long-term practice in California settings helping adults manage life transitions, work stress, compassion fatigue, and identity-related challenges. She brings experience with issues such as attachment, abandonment, blended family dynamics, hospice and end-of-life concerns, and first responder stress.
Michelle speaks English and works with adults on a range of topics including intimacy-related issues, ADHD, career questions, and midlife change. To begin, the typical next step is completing a short questionnaire and scheduling an initial session to clarify goals and plan treatment.
How Michelle’s approaches translate to online work
Client-centered therapy puts the person’s experience at the center. Sessions focus on what matters to the client, with the therapist reflecting concerns and priorities back. This approach helps when someone needs a space to sort out values, life purpose, or relationship choices.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the links between thoughts, behaviors, and feelings. It breaks problems into manageable steps and uses simple experiments and practice tasks to change patterns. CBT is commonly used for anxiety, sleep problems, depression, and coping with life changes.
Mindfulness techniques are applied as gentle practices for slowing down racing thoughts and improving rest. Short, practical exercises can reduce bedtime worry and build awareness of habits that interfere with sleep.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to match methods to goals, needs, and preferences. That means trying a method, checking how it feels, and adjusting the plan together until it fits.
Confirm available session formats before booking, as format details are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow quicker check-ins on progress. Different formats can also suit a shorter check-in at lunch, a longer deep-dive, or practices that involve movement and breathing between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
23+ years
Credentials
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems can Michelle help with?
She supports adults with stress, anxiety, sleep and rest concerns, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, addiction-related struggles, parenting strain, and trauma and abuse recovery.
What is her general therapy style?
Her work is collaborative and practical. She listens, helps set clear goals, and uses active techniques to test new behaviors between sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Michelle has 23 years of experience working in California settings with adults facing life transitions, compassion fatigue, and long-term stressors.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT, licensed in California and practices from that state.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability to set up an initial session.