Michelle Leverence

Michelle is an accomplished counselor and educator with over 25 years of experience in outpatient mental and medical health clinics; public and private school settings. She is described as a genuine, compassionate, and interactive therapist who believes that therapy is collaborative, and people have within their own selves, the capacity to heal, adapt and grow. Michelle earned her Masters of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2009 with an emphasis on community counseling, marriage and family therapy and alcohol and substance abuse counseling. She is a Wisconsin Licensed Professional Counselor, a National Certified Counselor and Wisconsin Licensed Professional Educator. Michelle provides counseling services to adolescents and adults ages 14-65 years, addressing symptoms and concerns associated with mood, depression, anxiety, ADHD, trauma, grief, adjustments and relationships. She is skilled in assessing risks, needs, and strengths, recommending interventions, problem solving, supporting and motivating clients. She is trained and has experience utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), mindfulness, meditation, and somatic based interventions. Michelle believes that a “good fit” is both the client’s and the therapist’s decision and that creating a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship is essential for therapy. She connects with clients by being authentic through stories, play, a sense of humor, trivia, an occasional slip of the tongue and singing, but not very well. Michelle maintains her own wellbeing by taking time to socialize with family and friends and to have solitude in nature with plants and animals. She is a mother of two adult children and one cat, wife of a military veteran, and a cancer survivor. In her time outside of work she likes to listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts, and online classes, watch TV, exercise, go to thrift stores, bake desserts, and travel.