About Michelle
Michelle Gossard is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in Iowa with 15 years of experience. She focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed, withdrawn, or more irritable than usual. Michelle listens first and helps people find practical ways to manage thoughts, feelings, and reactions.
Her work centers on helping people notice their strengths and build everyday skills. She emphasizes personal accountability and small, steady changes that fit into a client's life.
Background and approach
Sessions tend to be straightforward and goal-oriented so progress can be tracked. Michelle uses approaches rooted in client-centered care, cognitive behavioral ideas, and solution-focused techniques. That means she starts by understanding each person’s story, then helps them test new ways of thinking and acting.
The aim is to reduce distress from anxiety, depression, anger, or stress and improve day-to-day functioning. She has experience with issues such as relationship strain, self-esteem struggles, grief, parenting pressures, career concerns, and attention difficulties like ADHD. Additional focus areas include life purpose, midlife transitions, panic attacks, postpartum mood changes, and social anxiety.
Sessions are offered in English and are available through video calls, phone, live chat, and text messaging. The practice is attentive to practical needs and works to match therapy style to what each person finds most useful.
Online approaches that focus on skills and solutions
Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and building on what already works for the person. The therapist helps you tell your story and notices your strengths so you can use them to move forward.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches practical tools to shift unhelpful thinking and try different behaviors, which can reduce anxiety, panic, low mood, and negative self-talk.
Solution-focused therapy concentrates on clear, short-term goals and small changes. It is useful when someone wants concrete steps to solve a problem or test a new approach quickly.
Finding the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will listen to your needs, goals, and preferences and suggest methods to try. Together you can adjust the plan over time based on what helps most.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging. Video calls let you have a full conversation and read facial cues, while phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text are useful for quick check-ins, brief problem solving, or when typing feels easier than speaking. These options make it possible to fit therapy into work breaks, busy family routines, or times when getting to an office would be difficult.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
How would you describe her therapy style?
What background does the therapist have?
Where is she licensed and located?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
What session formats are available?
How does payment and cost work?
How do I begin therapy with her?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Anger management
Also works with
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Career difficulties
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Grief
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 15 years
- Licensed
- Iowa
- Languages
- English