Michelle Olson

Michelle Olson is a licensed social worker who focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and struggles with addiction. She is an LMSW and an LCSW with 18 years of professional experience. Michelle aims to make the first step toward change feel achievable and supportive.

She creates a calm, nonjudgmental space where people can talk openly about hard feelings. Sessions are conversational and practical. Michelle listens closely and helps people notice patterns that get in the way of feeling steady.

Her work draws on client-centered methods that put the person’s experience first. She also uses cognitive behavioral tools to help shift unhelpful thoughts and behavior, and elements of mindfulness to strengthen moment-to-moment coping. These approaches are used to address low self-esteem, impulsivity, and common emotional struggles.

Michelle has particular experience supporting people facing compassion fatigue and the wear that comes from caring for others. She also helps with relationship challenges like attachment concerns, codependency, and communication problems. Practical problem solving around money, purpose, and midlife stress is part of her practice.

Her practice emphasizes clear goals and steady progress. Michelle works together with each person to set achievable steps and to build skills that fit day-to-day life. She encourages small changes that add up to better balance and more satisfying routines.

Approaches and how they work in online therapy

Client-centered therapy centers the session around the person’s experience and goals. The therapist listens closely and follows what matters most to the client, which helps people feel understood and clearer about next steps. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes to improve mood and reduce anxiety.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences together and adjust techniques as needed. That collaborative process helps tailor sessions so tools fit the person’s life and pace.

Confirm the current session options before booking since formats were not specified in the biography. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when time is limited. It can also let people use mindfulness and CBT exercises between appointments to practice skills in everyday moments.