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MB Portrait of Michelle Bartnik

Michelle Bartnik

Collaborative, strengths-based counseling for life changes

LPC Michigan

Experience
9 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Family, Trauma and abuse
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Attachment-Based Therapy
Languages
English
Continue with Michelle

About Michelle

Michelle Bartnik is a licensed professional counselor in Michigan who focuses on helping people navigate stress, anxiety, family challenges, trauma and abuse, parenting concerns, and mood disorders such as depression and bipolar.

Background and approach

With nine years of clinical experience, she centers therapy on each person's strengths and life story, inviting clients to build practical skills while exploring the patterns that shape relationships and self-understanding. Her style emphasizes collaboration and respect for the client as the expert on their own life.

Michelle blends evidence-informed tools like cognitive behavioral techniques with attachment-focused work and client-centered listening to tailor sessions to the goals a person brings. She also addresses a wide range of related concerns including grief, career transitions, ADHD, adoption and foster care issues, communication and control struggles, and feelings of isolation or emptiness.

Michelle offers a compassionate, strengths-based approach that aims to help people develop coping strategies, improve communication, and reframe narratives that no longer serve them. She encourages those ready to make a change to take the first step toward clearer perspective and more manageable daily living.

Therapeutic approaches and how online therapy supports them

Michelle integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy alongside a client-centered stance to address emotional and relational concerns. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms such as anxiety and depression and to build practical coping skills. Attachment-Based Therapy explores patterns in close relationships and helps people understand how early bonds shape current ways of relating, which can be useful for family, parenting, and relationship challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the collaborative work; the therapist will listen to your goals and preferences and adapt techniques from these models so treatment fits your needs. Together you will experiment with strategies, track what helps, and adjust the plan over time to better support progress.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and communication styles. These formats make it easier to attend sessions from home or work, try brief check-ins between appointments, and use homework or skill-building exercises in real time where they matter most.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Michelle address?
She works with stress, anxiety, family conflict, trauma and abuse, parenting, depression, bipolar disorder, grief, career issues, ADHD, and related challenges such as abandonment, attachment issues, and isolation.
What is her general therapeutic approach and style?
Her practice is collaborative and strengths-based, combining cognitive behavioral ideas with attachment-focused and client-centered techniques to tailor therapy to each person's needs.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has nine years of professional experience working with a variety of mental health and relational concerns.
What credentials and regional licensure does she hold?
Michelle is an LPC licensed in Michigan with license number MI LPC 6401017420.
Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?
Therapy is offered in English only, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
Which session formats are available for working together?
Clients can meet via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on scheduling and preference.
How are fees and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseParenting issuesDepression

Also works with

Relationship issuesGriefCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAttachment issuesBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressCo-morbidityCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterEmptinessFamily problemsFatherhood issuesForgivenessIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMidlife crisisPanic disorder and panic attacksPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Motivational InterviewingNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

9+ years

Licensed

Michigan

Languages

English