Michelle Fennessy, LCSW

Michelle Fennessy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Florida with two decades of experience. She encourages people who are nervous about starting therapy to give themselves credit for seeking help. Michelle draws on her personal and professional journey to make it easier for clients to talk about painful or private feelings.

She focuses on anxiety, depression, trauma, and heartbreak. Michelle also helps people address addictive or self-destructive habits, such as binge eating or problematic alcohol use, and behaviors like repeated checking of an ex on social media. Her work includes support for people navigating mid-marriage crises and the stresses tied to living abroad, informed by her own years overseas.

Michelle uses approaches that emphasize strengths, clear goals, and practical changes in thinking and behavior. She combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Acceptance and Commitment ideas and elements of mindfulness to help people shift unhelpful thoughts. Internal Family Systems and solution-focused methods also appear in her practice to help clarify values and small steps forward.

Her style is direct and warm. She looks for the positive core in each person and helps uncover better-feeling thoughts that make it easier to move forward. Clients can expect a focus on real-life problems and small, achievable changes rather than abstract theory.

Michelle also works with concerns related to aging and geriatric issues, caregiving stress, cancer-related emotional challenges, and complicated feelings such as guilt, shame, and abandonment. She offers sessions in English and accepts international clients.

How these approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values. It is often used for anxiety, depression, and life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions interact and uses practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns; it is useful for depression, anxiety, and habit change. Mindfulness Therapy strengthens present-moment awareness and calm, often supporting grief, stress, and trauma recovery.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to see which methods fit their goals and preferences. Sessions may blend techniques rather than stick to a single model, and treatment plans evolve as needs change.

Confirm the session formats available before booking since the biography does not list specific options. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people access a therapist who understands aging and caregiving concerns or expat stress even if they are not local.