Michelle has worked with children and families in a variety of settings since 2008, including educational and mental health settings. She has solid training and extensive experience in early childhood development, and her relationship-based approach to working with children and families is rooted on this knowledge. Before her career as a clinical social worker, Michelle was a preschool teacher.
At Erikson’s Center for Children and Families, Michelle provides child-parent psychotherapy to support young children and their parents dealing with a range of issues, including family trauma, attachment difficulties, childhood anxiety and depression, and children presenting with behavioral or attention challenges at home or at school. Michelle provides support to parents as they help their children navigate their way through social-emotional and behavioral challenges. She is dedicated to helping children and their parents grow to better understand and enjoy one another.
Through the Center’s School Mental Health program, Michelle also provides therapeutic interventions directly in the classroom setting with children to strengthen peer relationships, and help children deal with emotional stressors that interfere with their capacity to focus and learn. In this context, her work also includes family educational workshops, parent and teacher consultations related to these goals.
Michelle earned her master’s degree in clinical social work at Erikson Institute, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is a registered facilitator for the Circle of Security Parenting, a relationship-based parenting program. She is member of the Illinois Association of Infant Mental Health, and the National Association of Social Workers.