- Stress and burnout
- Career and coaching
- Mindfulness practices
About Michelle
Michelle Wincell OLeary is a Minnesota LICSW with 28 years of clinical and coaching experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar concerns, self-esteem and career uncertainty. She also helps people coping with life changes, grief, compassion fatigue, workplace issues, and questions about life purpose.
Michelle uses straightforward conversation and practical tools to help people get unstuck. Sessions often include guided mindfulness practices, motivational interviewing to clarify goals, and client-centered listening to sort through options. She mixes short-term, solution-focused steps with deeper psychodynamic reflection when helpful.
Michelle has long worked alongside individuals, teams, and communities in Minnesota after major events and periods of change. That experience informs how she talks with clients about resilience, communication problems, and restoring everyday routine. She also offers coaching-style support for professional and executive concerns, focusing on concrete next steps rather than long labels.
In sessions she pays attention to feelings like guilt, shame, anger, isolation, and abandonment. Practical skills for managing social anxiety, phobias, parenting strain, and relationship friction are part of her practice. She encourages practices such as meditation and self-care when clients want to try them.
People who choose Michelle usually want a mix of practical planning and reflective conversation. She helps identify small experiments that fit daily life and follows up on what worked. To begin, clients use the site matching process to schedule a first meeting.
Therapeutic approaches and how online sessions work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting what matters to the client. It helps people clarify values and make choices by following their concerns rather than imposing a plan. Mindfulness Therapy uses brief practices to bring attention to sensations and thoughts in the moment; it can reduce reactivity to stress and help with anxiety and mood. Motivational Interviewing emphasizes clear, practical goals and helps people move from uncertainty to action by exploring what they value and what they want to change.Deciding which approach to use is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and day-to-day constraints to choose methods that fit. Sessions can combine approaches so clients try practical steps, reflective conversation, and short mindfulness exercises in ways that make sense for them.
The original biography does not list specific online formats, so confirm the available session types before booking. Many people find remote sessions useful for fitting therapy into workdays, keeping shorter check-ins during busy weeks, or reducing travel time. Online sessions can also make it easier to practice mindfulness or homework between meetings. A therapist will discuss how to structure sessions so they fit into everyday life and the client's goals.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
28+ years
Listed in
Minnesota
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar concerns, self-esteem, career questions, grief, compassion fatigue, and life purpose issues.
How does she approach feeling stuck or directionless?
Her style blends client-centered listening, solution-focused steps, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and psychodynamic reflection to identify practical next steps.
How much experience does she have?
She has 28 years of professional experience working clinically and in coaching roles.
What are her credentials and location?
She is a Minnesota LICSW and practices from Minnesota.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients.
What session formats does she provide?
The original biography did not list specific session formats; confirm current session options before booking.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the crisis numbers.