Michelle Nguyen, LICSW

Michelle Nguyen is a licensed clinical social worker (LICSW) who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, addiction concerns, and grief. She also supports people facing parenting challenges, intimacy-related concerns, career stress, and major life changes. Michelle writes plainly and listens closely to what matters to each person. Michelle draws on five years of practice across inpatient and outpatient mental health settings. Her background includes work as an investigative social worker with child protective services and time supporting homeless veterans. Those roles shaped her ability to stay calm in high-pressure situations and to work with people from many backgrounds. In sessions she focuses on practical steps and clear goals. She uses Client-Centered Therapy to follow each person’s priorities and build trust. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to spot patterns of thought and behavior that get in the way, and Solution-Focused ideas to set short-term goals that feel achievable. Michelle pays attention to shame, attachment wounds, and the practical stresses of caregiving and first-responder life. She helps people talk through communication problems, commitment questions, and family conflict without making assumptions about their situation. Her approach is collaborative and straightforward. She works with each person to set goals, try techniques between sessions, and check what’s helping. People looking for clear, action-oriented support in the District of Columbia may find her style direct and practical.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Michelle uses Client-Centered Therapy to follow what matters most to each person. This approach focuses on listening, reflecting, and helping people set their own priorities. It is useful when someone needs space to talk and to be heard without judgment. She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at thoughts and behaviors that reinforce stress or anxiety. CBT involves practical exercises and small experiments to test new ways of thinking and acting, and it can help with worry, depression, and habit change. Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Michelle will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, needs, and comfort level. Together they set short-term targets and adjust techniques based on what helps most. Confirm the current session options before booking, as specific online formats are not listed here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. It can also make it simpler to continue care during job changes, relocation, or other life transitions. Licensed professionals generally work to adapt exercises and homework so they work well in an online setting.