Profile / United States
Michelle Durham, LPC
District of Columbia
LPC - Anxiety and Trauma support
See online therapy options- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Mindfulness practices
- Trauma-informed care
About Michelle
Michelle Durham is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in the District of Columbia with 19 years of experience. She works with people facing issues such as depression, anxiety, substance use, trauma and abuse, relationship concerns, grief, work stress, and caregiver strain. Michelle also helps with self-esteem, intimacy-related issues, anger, and life changes.
Her background is largely in nonprofit and community settings. She has provided ongoing counseling to people living with severe and persistent mental health conditions, individuals exiting homelessness or the foster care system, people fleeing domestic violence, and those who were formerly incarcerated. That work shaped her practical approach to day-to-day problems.
Michelle uses a client-centered stance that emphasizes strengths and cultural context. She draws on cognitive behavioral techniques and solution-focused strategies to identify unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors. Mindfulness and narrative work are also part of her toolkit for managing stress and processing difficult events.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ideas inform how she frames values and action steps. Michelle has training in trauma-informed care and completed Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (TREM) training for women. She combines these methods when trauma or ongoing stress is central to the concern.
Sessions focus on clear goals and doable steps. Michelle helps people build realistic self-care plans and practices they can try between meetings. To begin, visitors are asked to use the site matching process to schedule a first session and complete a short questionnaire.
How CBT, ACT and client-centered work online
Michelle uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors in everyday situations. CBT sessions focus on practical exercises and short experiments that can be practiced between meetings.She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clarify personal values and encourage committed action toward those values. ACT is useful when someone wants to reduce avoidance and take small steps that align with their priorities. Client-Centered Therapy supports the process by keeping the conversation grounded in the client's experience and goals, allowing the therapist to adapt pacing and focus.
Finding the right mix of methods is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide whether CBT, ACT, client-centered methods, or a combination fits best based on goals and preferences. That choice can shift as progress is made.
Confirm the specific session formats offered before booking, since formats are not specified here. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, support shorter check-ins when time is limited, and remove travel time. It can also allow the use of mindfulness exercises and behavioral assignments between meetings so the skills carry into daily life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
19+ years
Listed in
District of Columbia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with most?
She helps people dealing with depression, anxiety, substance use, trauma and relationship concerns, plus caregiver and work-related stress.
How would she describe her therapeutic approach?
Her style is client-centered and strength-based, using practical methods like cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, and solution-focused steps.
How much experience does she bring?
Michelle has 19 years of experience working in community and nonprofit mental health settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensed in the District of Columbia.
What languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are session costs handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.