Michelle Garibaldi, LMFT

Michelle Garibaldi is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and midlife shifts. She brings 23 years of experience and a calm, collaborative style to sessions. Her approach is warm and focused on practical changes you can use right away.

Michelle asks clients to identify clear goals and then works alongside them to reach those goals. She uses tools that encourage self-reflection and action. Sessions are conversational and goal-oriented, with an emphasis on what will make daily life feel better.

Her background includes long-term work with relationship and family concerns, grief and loss, trauma and abuse, addiction, and parenting strain. She also supports people navigating life purpose, career change, and the particular stresses of midlife. Michelle draws on different approaches to tailor work to each person’s needs.

Therapeutic methods she uses include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address unhelpful thinking patterns, Client-Centered Therapy to focus on the client’s perspective, and Narrative and Motivational Interviewing techniques to help people reframe stories and find motivation for change. Mindfulness practices are used to build calm and present-moment awareness.

Michelle practices in California and speaks English. She frames the work as a partnership and encourages clients to set the pace. To begin, she asks people to name what they want to change and then creates a plan that fits their life and goals.

How Michelle’s approaches translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy centers the client’s perspective and priorities, focusing on listening, empathy, and building trust so people feel heard and understood. This approach helps with relationship concerns, self-esteem, and life direction by keeping the work grounded in the client’s goals.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets the thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. It uses practical exercises and short experiments to reduce anxiety, improve mood, and change unhelpful patterns. CBT can be helpful for sleep problems, stress, and midlife decision-making.

Existential ideas invite people to consider meaning, choice, and values when life feels uncertain. These conversations can help during major transitions like midlife changes or career shifts by clarifying what matters most.

Finding the right approach is part of the process and will be a collaborative decision. The therapist will discuss goals, try strategies, and adjust methods based on what feels most useful. Clients and therapist work together to pick tools that match the person’s needs and pace.

Please confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let people join from a quieter space. These practical benefits can help therapy fit everyday life without requiring major changes.