PuttingFamilyFirst

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NM Portrait of Nendler "Dee" Michel
Online therapist

Nendler "Dee" Michel

Helping parents and families find clearer paths

Credentials
LCSW
Experience
24 years
Licensed in
New York
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Nendler

Nendler "Dee" Michel welcomes families and parents who are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to turn. He writes in a calm, conversational way and focuses on understanding the person first. Dee aims to create simple, realistic steps parents can try between sessions.

He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - LCSW with long experience in human services and family-related concerns. Dee uses a person-centered approach that treats each family member as an individual.

Background and approach

He mixes practical tools with conversations that focus on what matters most to the family. Sessions often include breathing or mindfulness exercises and straightforward strategies to manage stress and anxiety. He draws on cognitive behavioral ideas to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors.

Motivational interviewing techniques are used when people are weighing change or struggling to build new habits. Narrative work helps families reframe painful stories and see strengths they may have missed. Dee has worked many years with people affected by the child welfare and justice systems, and with those facing addiction, trauma, or caregiver stress.

He also supports concerns common to parenting and blended families, including adoption and attachment issues. His style is practical and direct, offering real-world advice alongside emotional support. Sessions can cover parenting challenges, relationship struggles, grief, mood issues, and coping with life changes.

Dee helps clients set clear, doable goals and checks in on progress from week to week.

Therapeutic approaches for online family work

Client-centered therapy centers each session on the person's experience and priorities, offering a relaxed, conversational space to talk through parenting choices and family concerns. It helps families feel heard and shapes the work around their goals.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. Online CBT sessions can teach simple tools to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and change patterns that get in the way of parenting or relationships.

Mindfulness therapy brings short breathing and awareness exercises into sessions to reduce stress and help parents respond rather than react. These practices are easy to use between sessions and can calm the body during tense family moments.

Deciding which approach to use is collaborative. Dee will work with each person to pick methods that fit their needs, goals, and comfort level and will adjust techniques as progress is made. The early sessions are often about finding the right mix together.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to get help without extra travel. Video calls recreate face-to-face conversation, phone sessions provide a simpler audio option, and live chat or text messaging allow short check-ins or ongoing support between appointments. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy family lives while keeping the focus on practical steps and steady progress.

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.

Mindfulness Therapy

Attention training: noticing thoughts and physical feelings as they arrive without being carried off by them. Much of it is practice you do yourself, so guidance over video or audio works much as it would in person.

Frequently asked questions

What family and parenting concerns can be addressed?
Dee works with a wide range of family-focused issues including parenting, blended family challenges, adoption and foster care concerns, attachment problems, and communication or conflict in family life.
How would you describe the therapy style used in sessions?
The approach is conversational and person-centered, mixing practical coaching with therapeutic techniques like cognitive behavioral ideas, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing to help people change behavior and manage stress.
What kind of background does the therapist have?
He brings 24 years of experience in human services, including long work within the child welfare and justice systems and with people dealing with addiction, trauma, and caregiver stress.
What are the therapist's credentials and where are they located?
The clinician is Nendler "Dee" Michel, LCSW, licensed in New York with license number NY LCSW 090247 and practices from New York.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
In what formats are sessions offered?
Sessions can be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to match different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for therapy?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are involved in getting started?
To begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

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