Michele Fitzgerald
Calm, experienced counselor for practical change
- Credentials
- LPCC
- Experience
- 25 years
- Licensed in
- Minnesota
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Michele
Michele Fitzgerald is a licensed professional clinical counselor with 25 years of experience. She began her work in adolescent substance use treatment in the 1980s and has practiced in varied settings over the decades. Michele brings direct, steady support for people facing addiction, mood concerns, grief, and life transitions.
She listens closely and treats mistakes as chances to learn and grow. Michele's background includes roles in substance abuse and mental health counseling, adoption and birth parent counseling, hospital social work, and long-term care services.
Background and approach
That range has shaped a practical approach to problems like anxiety, depression, and sleep or eating struggles. Her work has taken her to places such as Kodiak, Alaska, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, informing a flexible outlook on care. In sessions she draws on methods that match what each person needs.
She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify patterns of thought and behavior. She also uses Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for trauma-related symptoms and Motivational Interviewing to support change. Michele frames recovery as a form of wellness and focuses on building strength through challenges.
Michele works with concerns related to parenting, relationships, family issues, ADHD, anger, and self-esteem among others. She aims to create a practical, down-to-earth conversation where goals are clear. Parents reading on a phone will find short, direct guidance that focuses on next steps.
Her credential is LPCC, licensed in Minnesota as MN LPCC cc02294. Sessions are offered in English and delivered through several online formats to fit different needs.
Approaches that translate well to online care
Michele commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing in online sessions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors; it is useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with stress. EMDR is a trauma-focused method that helps process distressing memories and reduce their emotional hold.She also draws on Motivational Interviewing to support readiness for change by asking questions and reflecting what matters to the client. Finding the right method is part of the work together - Michele will listen to your goals and suggest approaches that fit your needs and preferences. The plan is collaborative and can change as progress is made.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls let sessions feel like face-to-face meetings from home. Phone sessions are a simpler option when video is not possible. Live chat and text-based messaging allow brief check-ins and ongoing support between scheduled visits. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy family life and to keep momentum when challenges arise.
Client-Centered Therapy
The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Michele address in therapy?
What is her approach and therapy style?
How long has she practiced and what is her background?
Where is she licensed and located?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
What session formats are available?
How are sessions paid for or priced?
How do I get started with therapy?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 25 years
- Licensed
- Minnesota
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Michele
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point