Michelle Ely

Michelle Ely is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Alaska. She draws on an open, interactive style that is both warm and direct. Her work focuses on helping people reduce stress and anxiety, cope with grief and life changes, and manage anger. She also supports those facing relationship and parenting challenges, and offers help around separation and divorce concerns.

She brings six years as an LCSW to her practice and a longer 29-year background in social work. She uses a flexible, eclectic approach and chooses interventions based on each person’s needs. Sessions tend to focus on practical steps and clear feedback rather than jargon.

Clients can expect a therapist who treats people with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. The therapist frames clients as experts in their own stories and looks for strengths to build on. Work in sessions often includes identifying manageable goals and trying out new ways of coping between meetings.

Her experience includes supporting people through trauma and abuse, self-esteem and intimacy issues, and career or life-purpose questions. Michelle also addresses caregiver stress, blended family challenges, and issues affecting veterans and women. She lists autism and intellectual disability among additional focus areas.

Michelle stresses collaboration: she and the client decide which strategies to use. The profile recommends following the Start Therapy steps to complete a brief matching questionnaire and schedule sessions according to the therapist’s availability.

How evidence-based methods guide online work

Michelle uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques and adapts them to each person’s needs. For example, trauma-focused approaches aim to help people process past hurt and learn coping skills that reduce distress. These methods often use gradual steps and practical exercises to make memories feel less overwhelming.

Another common focus is stress and anxiety reduction through skill building. That can include learning breathing and grounding tools, changing unhelpful thinking patterns, and practicing small behavior changes to reduce pressure in daily life. These skills are useful for relationship strain, parenting stress, and transitions such as separation or divorce.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with clients to decide which techniques fit their goals and preferences. That means reviewing what has helped before, trying options in session, and adjusting based on what feels most helpful.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and remove travel time. Licensed professionals can guide goal setting, teach new skills, and help you practice changes in everyday life.