Michelle Varady , LCSW

Michelle Varady is a licensed clinical social worker with ten years of practice in California. She focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, addiction, grief, or big life changes. She also supports those coping with ADHD, sleep problems, mood swings, and struggles with self-worth. Her style is straightforward and collaborative. She uses practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness to help people manage day-to-day symptoms. She also draws on dialectical behavior therapy and somatic techniques to teach emotion regulation and grounding skills. Sessions tend to be goal-oriented and paced to each person. Michelle helps people break problems into smaller steps and build skills they can use between meetings. She emphasizes clear, doable strategies for stress, panic, and impulse control while also addressing patterns behind recurring problems. Michelle has worked with a broad range of concerns for a decade. That experience includes supporting people through trauma and addiction, as well as complex emotional issues such as guilt, codependency, and abandonment wounds. She aims to meet people where they are and adapt tools to fit real life. People who prefer practical plans mixed with deeper self-understanding may find her approach helpful. She communicates plainly, focuses on what changes are possible now, and supports clients as they practice new ways of coping and relating.

Approaches that translate well to online care

Many of Michelle's core approaches can be used effectively in online sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors. It is often useful for anxiety, depression, panic, and sleep problems because it gives clear steps to try between sessions.

Dialectical behavior therapy, DBT, emphasizes skills for managing strong emotions and reducing impulsive behaviors. It teaches breathing, grounding, and interpersonal skills that people can practice in daily life. Mindfulness therapy helps people notice thoughts and sensations without judgment, which can reduce reactivity and improve focus.

Choosing the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, symptoms, and what feels manageable, then try methods that match those needs. Adjustments are made along the way so the work stays practical and relevant.

Online sessions offer flexibility for many schedules. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions work well if bandwidth or camera use is an issue. Live chat and text-based messaging can support shorter check-ins, skill practice between meetings, and ongoing reflection when a full session isn't possible.