- Years in practice
- 35
- Credentials
- LMFT
- Licensed in
- California
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Addictions
- Focus
- Relationship issues
About Michele
Michele Downey is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 35 years of experience. She focuses on practical help for parents feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, addictive behaviors, sleep or eating struggles, and relationship or intimacy concerns. Michele aims to make the first steps toward change feel manageable and supportive.
She uses everyday conversation and goal-focused planning rather than jargon. Sessions are shaped around each person's situation, so plans fit real life and the pressures of parenting.
Background and approach
Michele emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and steady encouragement as people work on change. Her background spans many common issues that affect daily life and parenting, including grief, compassion fatigue, mood disorders, bipolar challenges, and coping with life transitions. She also addresses communication problems, codependency, caregiver stress, and blended family concerns.
That breadth comes from decades working with diverse adult concerns in California. Michele pairs short-term skills with longer-term perspective work. That can mean building coping skills for anxiety, setting boundaries around addictive behaviors, or practicing new ways to talk about needs and feelings.
She supports clients in taking small, practical steps that add up over time. Sessions are offered in English and arranged to fit each person's schedule. Michele works with people who want both coaching-style guidance and deeper therapeutic work.
The aim is steady progress toward clearer priorities and better day-to-day functioning.
What Michele works with
Everything Michele lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Michele helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Depression
- Compassion fatigue
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- ADHD
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches and flexible online care
Two common approaches Michele uses are skills-based work and exploratory therapy. Skills-based work teaches practical techniques for managing anxiety, improving sleep, and handling cravings or urges related to addiction. Exploratory therapy looks at patterns in relationships, family of origin issues, and life purpose to help people make lasting shifts.She treats finding the right approach as a collaborative process. Together the therapist and client review goals, try techniques, and adjust plans based on what helps most. That way the work stays focused on real problems and real progress rather than fitting one fixed method.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which offer flexibility for busy parents. Video works well for deeper conversations and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Chat or messaging can be useful for brief check-ins, quick coaching, or ongoing support between sessions. These options make scheduling easier and let people use the format that fits their day-to-day life.
Questions people ask about Michele
What concerns does Michele commonly address?
She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, grief, compassion fatigue, intimacy issues, sleep and eating struggles, parenting challenges, anger, self-esteem, bipolar and mood disorders, and coping with life changes.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She uses plain language and practical planning, combining short-term coping skills with longer-term perspective work tailored to each person's needs.
How much experience does she bring?
She has 35 years of professional work experience supporting people with a wide range of life and mental health concerns.
What credential does she hold and where is she located?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist - LMFT - licensed in California and practices from that state.
Which languages are used in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and preferences.
How are costs and billing handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Choose the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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