Michelle Durham , LPC

Michelle Durham is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in the District of Columbia. She brings 19 years of experience working with people facing addiction, trauma, anxiety, depression, and stress. Michelle focuses on women's issues and other concerns like grief, relationship and intimacy struggles, workplace stress, and caregiver strain.

She studies each person's story and meets them where they are. Sessions are collaborative and aim to build practical skills. Michelle uses approaches that fit the person rather than one fixed method, and she emphasizes self-care and realistic steps forward.

Her background includes long experience in nonprofit and community settings. That work involved supporting people with substance use, homelessness, trauma, and the challenges of re-entry after incarceration. She also has experience assisting people fleeing domestic violence and those transitioning out of foster care.

Michelle draws on several therapeutic approaches in session, including cognitive behavioral techniques, client-centered work, mindfulness practices, narrative methods, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She weaves these together to address symptoms and daily life problems like communication breakdowns and isolation.

People can expect a warm, approachable counseling style. Michelle helps clients identify goals, try new ways of coping, and create self-care plans that fit their lives. Her aim is to partner with each person to find practical, achievable steps toward feeling better.

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and reconnect to what matters most. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to problems and then practicing concrete skills to change them. It often helps with depression, anxiety, and stress. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a warm, nonjudgmental relationship and follows the person's pace and goals to build insight and self-direction.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Michelle will collaborate with each person to mix methods that match their needs, goals, and comfort level. Together they decide which techniques to try and adjust them as progress is made.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls are useful for a face-to-face feel, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat can fit a short check-in during a break, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit counseling into a busy life and to keep momentum between meetings.