- Years in practice
- 17
- Credentials
- LMFT
- Licensed in
- California
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Family conflicts
- Focus
- Parenting issues
About Michelle
Michelle Bonner is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California with 17 years of experience. She helps parents and caregivers manage stress, anxiety, family conflict, and parenting challenges in practical ways. Her approach is warm and respectful, aimed at making the first steps feel less overwhelming.
Michelle adapts sessions to each person's situation. She listens without judgment and focuses on what matters most to the client. That can mean learning new ways to respond to a child's behavior, building confidence, or finding tools to cope with big life changes.
Background and approach
She uses straightforward techniques from client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy to change unhelpful thinking and behavior. Mindfulness and solution-focused strategies are often added to develop short-term plans and calmer responses. Trauma-focused work is available when past harm affects current family life.
Her background includes supporting people through adoption and foster care concerns, blended family issues, caregiver stress, and communication problems. She also works with mood disorders, post-traumatic stress, and the effects of prejudice or sexual trauma when those issues arise. Sessions are offered in English and reflect attention to cultural and multicultural concerns.
Michelle aims to make sessions useful and manageable, whether someone needs brief coaching or deeper ongoing work.
What Michelle works with
Everything Michelle lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Michelle helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- Adoption and foster care
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Domestic violence
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
Approaches Michelle lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Approaches that guide online parenting support
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding the parent's perspective. It helps people feel heard and become clearer about their goals for family life. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at the thoughts and behaviors that keep stress and anxiety active and teaches practical skills to change them. Mindfulness-based strategies teach simple awareness and breathing techniques to reduce reactivity and improve focus during tense parenting moments.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk through goals, try methods that fit the family situation, and adjust plans based on how things are going. That collaborative process helps identify what feels most useful for each parent or caregiver.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls let you use facial cues and teach skills in real time. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a quick check-in fits a break at work. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for short updates, step-by-step coaching, or when writing out thoughts helps more than speaking. These options make it simpler to fit consistent support into a busy family life.
Questions people ask about Michelle
What parenting and family concerns are addressed?
She supports parents with stress, family conflict, blended family issues, adoption and foster care questions, and communication problems. Other focus areas include caregiver stress and child behavior challenges.
What is her general therapy style?
Sessions are collaborative and down-to-earth. Michelle listens, offers concrete tools, and adjusts the pace to the client's needs.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 17 years of professional experience working with stress, anxiety, trauma, and family and parenting concerns.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist - LMFT - licensed in California and practices there.
Which languages are supported and can international clients connect?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can happen by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and preferences.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling according to therapist availability.
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