Michelle Bartnik

Michelle Bartnik is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Michigan with nine years of clinical experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, family conflict, trauma and abuse, parenting concerns, depression, relationship strain, grief, career questions, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and broader life changes. Michelle emphasizes that clients know their own story and brings that belief into sessions.

Her approach centers on listening and working with what each person brings. She uses client-centered methods to follow the client's priorities. She also draws on cognitive behavioral strategies to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and try small behavior changes that can reduce distress.

Michelle integrates attachment-based ideas when relationships and bonding are central concerns. Narrative therapy is used to look at the stories people tell about themselves and consider other ways of understanding events. Motivational interviewing helps when someone feels stuck about making a change or taking a next step.

Sessions are conversational and focused on practical steps people can use between appointments. Michelle often helps people talk through relationship patterns, parenting frustrations, and career doubts and break those problems into workable parts. She supports clients who are dealing with trauma, grief, or the stress of major life transitions.

Michelle practices in Michigan and conducts sessions in English. Her starting point is always the client's goals and what they want to try next, with clear, concrete suggestions to test outside of sessions.

How her approaches carry over to online work

Michelle often uses client-centered therapy online to prioritize the client's goals and guide conversations where the client leads what to focus on. This approach helps when someone is unsure what to change next and needs space to clarify priorities.

She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy in virtual sessions to identify unhelpful thoughts and try small, specific behavior experiments between visits. CBT-style steps translate well to online work because they rely on clear tasks and check-ins that can fit into everyday routines.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Michelle collaborates with each person to decide whether attachment-based ideas, CBT, narrative work, or motivational interviewing will best address the problem at hand. That choice is based on the client’s goals, preferences, and what they want to try first.

The practical benefit of online sessions is that they can be folded into a normal week more easily. People can schedule a short check-in during a lunch break, choose a video session when a visual conversation helps, or opt for an audio call if bandwidth or camera use is a concern. Confirm current session options before booking so you know which formats she offers and can pick what fits your schedule.