- Client-centered approach
- CBT techniques
- Motivational interviewing
About Michelle
Michelle Ikeda is a California licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with four years of clinical experience. She helps people navigate stress, anxiety, relationship and parenting concerns, as well as issues tied to self-esteem, depression, grief, trauma, and intimacy-related struggles.
She uses a client-centered approach and focuses on practical communication and problem-solving. Michelle draws on work in social services and healthcare to help people clarify priorities and improve understanding with partners and family members. She also has experience with adoption and foster care, custody and guardianship matters, and blended family challenges.
Michelle is bilingual in English and Japanese and grew up in Japan. That background informs how she listens and responds to cultural and relational concerns. She has supported caregivers and family members of people living with dementia and other chronic conditions, and she values the life stories older adults bring to sessions.
Her experience includes supporting people connected to child welfare and developmental disability services, including Autism Spectrum Disorder. She often helps clients translate stressful systems and legal processes into manageable steps while focusing on relationships and daily functioning.
Michelle typically works with individuals and couples to improve communication and navigate life changes. She describes her work as collaborative and focused on concrete skills, such as communication strategies, behavioral approaches, and short-term goal setting. Sessions are offered in English and Japanese and take into account cultural expectations and family background.
How Michelle applies practical approaches in online sessions
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting so clients feel understood and can identify their own next steps. It helps people who need someone to help sort through feelings and values without pushing solutions.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. It is useful for managing anxiety, guilt, shame, low mood, and habits that keep people stuck by teaching skills to test and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Michelle will discuss goals and preferences and try methods that fit what a client wants to address. That process is collaborative and adjusted as needs change.
If you want to know which session formats she uses, confirm the current options before booking. The practical benefit of online sessions is that they can fit into daily life more easily - they can save commute time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and make scheduling around work or caregiving responsibilities simpler. Talk with her when you schedule about what will fit your routine and attention needs.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
4+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English, Japanese
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship and parenting issues, plus depression, grief, trauma, intimacy-related concerns, and career or life changes.
How would she approach shame or guilt?
She uses a client-centered style combined with practical methods like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people talk through beliefs and develop new coping strategies.
What is her professional background?
She has four years of experience in social services and healthcare settings, including work with child welfare, elder care, and developmental disability supports.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a California LMFT and practices in California.
Does she offer sessions in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English and Japanese.
Can people from other countries work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions paid for and what does it cost?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.