About Michele
Michele Downey is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who helps people manage stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, and relationship concerns. She brings 35 years of California practice experience to sessions and focuses on clear, respectful dialogue.
Background and approach
Michele aims to meet each person where they are and tailor the work to specific needs. Michele keeps sessions straightforward and compassionate.
She listens for what matters most, then works with clients to set practical steps they can try between meetings. That may include strategies for sleep, mood, coping with life changes, or handling caregiving strain.
Her work includes support around grief, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related challenges, and issues tied to family of origin. Michele also addresses communication problems, codependency, and substance use concerns with an eye toward everyday routines and relationships.
Clients who want help with life direction, forgiveness, or midlife transitions will find a focus on values and next steps. She also offers support for eating and sleeping difficulties, anger, self-esteem, bipolar mood concerns, and ADHD-related challenges.
Michele describes therapy as a partnership. She will tailor a plan to fit each person’s goals and pace.
That partnership includes practical coaching, problem-solving, and emotional support to help people move toward a more satisfying life.
How evidence-based techniques work online
Michele commonly draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on practical change. One approach emphasizes skill-building for anxiety and mood regulation through step-by-step strategies clients can practice between sessions. This helps with sleep, worry, and day-to-day coping. Another common approach centers on communication and relationship skills. It teaches clear ways to express needs, set boundaries, and repair difficult patterns in interactions. That work often supports people facing blended family stress, codependency, or caregiving strain. Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Michele will listen to your goals and try methods that fit your situation, adjusting the plan as you progress. She partners with clients to choose techniques that feel doable and relevant. Online therapy makes regular work easier to maintain. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text messaging let people send updates, ask quick questions, and keep momentum between longer meetings. Together these options offer flexibility to fit sessions into busy lives and changing schedules.Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating disorders
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Experience
- 35 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English