Michelle Fennessy, LCSW

Michelle Fennessy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - a professional trained to provide psychotherapy and clinical social work in Florida. She holds a Master of Social Work from Columbia University in New York and a Bachelor of Psychology from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. Her graduate training included required personal therapy experience, which informs her empathy for how difficult it can be to begin counseling.

Michelle approaches therapy from a strengths-oriented, cognitive behavioral, and goal-focused perspective, and she brings two decades of clinical experience to work with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and relationship concerns. She has particular experience helping people navigate mid-marriage crises, addictive or self-destructive behaviors such as binge-eating and over-drinking, and the painful patterns that follow heartbreak and infidelity. She also supports those facing the unique stresses of ex-patriate life, drawing on many years of living and working abroad.

Her work reflects an interest in Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment strategies, and complementary ideas such as Energy Psychology and the Law of Attraction for clients who find those frameworks meaningful. Michelle emphasizes helping people identify more helpful thoughts and emotional patterns so they can shift their energy and open possibilities for change. She believes each person has inherent strengths and that seeking help is a courageous step toward feeling better and creating a life that aligns with their values.

Therapeutic Approaches for Remote Care

Michelle draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps people clarify their values and learn practical skills to accept difficult emotions while committing to actions that align with what matters most. This approach is useful for anxiety, life transitions, and situations where avoidance has become limiting.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thought patterns and to build concrete skills for changing behaviors and moods. CBT is effective for depression, anxiety, stress, and many everyday coping challenges.

Mindfulness Therapy is integrated to help clients increase present-moment awareness and reduce reactivity to distressing thoughts or sensations. It supports clients working with trauma responses, intrusive worry, and patterns of self-criticism.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Michelle collaborates with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences, and she adapts techniques so the work fits the individual rather than forcing a single method.

Online therapy sessions by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging offer flexibility for people with busy schedules, geographic limitations, or caregiving responsibilities. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care, access consistent support, and practice skills between sessions with a licensed professional.