Michelle Fennessy

Michelle Fennessy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in Florida. She earned her master’s degree from Columbia University and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mount Holyoke College. She is licensed to provide clinical social work services in the state of Florida and brings twenty years of clinical experience to her practice.

Michelle understands that reaching out for support requires courage and self-awareness, and she encourages anyone taking that step to give themselves credit for it. She recognizes that sharing private, painful, or frightening feelings with someone new can feel intimidating, particularly for those new to counseling, and she emphasizes that no one has to make that journey alone.

During her graduate training Michelle experienced therapy as a client herself, which shaped her belief in the value of the therapeutic process. That experience also informs her patience with the time it often takes to feel safe enough to reveal troubling thoughts or feelings. She believes the effort is worth it.

She brings a strengths-based, cognitive behavioral, and goal-oriented approach to her work, and she is also interested in Energy Psychology. Michelle believes that shifting to a thought or story that feels better can alter a person’s energy and allow positive change to follow. Some clients seek her perspective on the Law of Attraction and its role in making hopes and goals more attainable. She aims to help people move toward a life they enjoy and that supports their deepest wishes.

Michelle’s particular clinical focus includes anxiety, depression, trauma, and heartbreak. She works with individuals experiencing “middle marriage” crisis and assists men and women in modifying addictive or self-destructive behaviors such as binge-eating, over-drinking, or resisting the urge to text, call, or social media “stalk” someone who is not healthy for them. She also specializes in the stressors of ex-patriate life, having lived and worked abroad for many years, and supports clients with grief, self-esteem, family conflict, intimacy-related issues, parenting challenges, anger management, career difficulties, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue.