—— IF YOU'RE HERE YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE THIS​
Most people have no idea.
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Because you're good at it. You hold things together, you're very capable, you look completely fine from the outside... which is probably one of the loneliest parts of where you are right now.
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You've tried the things people suggest like therapy, self-care, meditation. And none of it has touched whatever this actually is. Because whatever this actually is, goes deeper than habits and routines.
"I understand my anxiety. It doesn't really help."
No matter how much insight you have, it still shows up. You're high-functioning on the outside and barely holding it together inside. Managing it every single day while looking completely fine from the outside is exhausting.​
"I've tried everything and I'm still this tired."
You see your patterns clearly and repeat them anyway.​​ You've done the things and the things haven't worked because the exhaustion underneath the exhaustion is not a habits problem. It's not something a routine can fix and you know that by now. That's why you're here.
"On paper everything looks fine. I hate that I can't just be happy."​
You have a good life & you know that. And yet here you are running on empty, quietly resenting things you feel you should be grateful for, having the same argument with yourself about it on repeat. The guilt about the resentment is its own whole thing.
​"I don't recognize myself anymore. I don't know when that happened."​​
Something is changing in peri/menopause and the person you used to know feels very far away. You're not sure who you are when no one needs anything from you. You're not sure you remember how to find out.
Something in you knows that
this is not it.
You want MORE.
You want to feel DIFFERENT.
—— THIS IS DIFFERENT​
Therapy that honors your intelligence and your nervous system.
Your mind, body, your history, and your relationships all belong in the room. ​Not as separate problems to fix one at a time, but as parts of one person who makes complete sense when you actually look at the whole picture.
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Most therapy will help you cope.
This work asks you what you're coping with & why it's still here.
—— MY APPROACH
Therapy rooted in evidence. Guided by compassion.
I use an integrative, trauma-informed approach that blends relational neuroscience, somatic therapy, nervous system, attachment, and parts work healing. Our work is always collaborative and deeply human.
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Some days we move into challenging territory; other days we focus on building resources that help you feel steadier, calmer, and more anchored to yourself.
—— WHO AM I
I'm Michaela
I am a licensed clinical professional counselor in Illinois, and I work exclusively via telehealth, which means wherever you are in Illinois, we can work together without you having to add another thing to get to.
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I specialize in anxiety, trauma, burnout, and perimenopause and midlife transitions. I work with women who are high-functioning on the outside and running on empty underneath. Women going through something profound, largely alone.
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I'm not interested in keeping you in therapy forever. I'm interested in getting you to the root of "the problem," doing the work, and helping you actually feel different. That looks like weekly therapy for some women, and therapy intensives for others. Both paths are real.
—— WHO THIS IS FOR​
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Intelligent, self-aware, motivated women
who are ready for something to change.​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​—— BEGIN HERE​
Free 20-minute conversation is where most people start.
No commitment, just a chance to see if this feels like a fit.​​
Therapy Intensives/Extended Sessions
Rather than spreading the work across months of weekly sessions, an intensive creates a dedicated block of time to go deeper without the week-long gaps that can slow momentum.
It's not faster therapy. It's a different kind of space for more intense work.
Half Day
3–4 hours. This is a half-day session for people who are already in therapy or have done some inner work, and want to go deeper on something specific. Not just talk about it, but really work through it.
Full Day
Not a long appointment, but an actual dedicated day. With a break so you can breathe, eat, come back. Long enough to move through more than one layer, without having to stop right when something starts to open up.
Multi Day
2–3 consecutive or closely spaced days. This one takes the most time and often does the most work. Two or three days, with breathing room built in between for the things you've been carrying the longest.
Intensives can stand alone or run alongside ongoing therapy. If you're not sure which format fits, we can figure that out in a consultation.
—— FREE RESOURCE
Not ready to book yet?
Start here.
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If you're still thinking about if this kind of work is what you need, the free guide is a good place to begin. It won't ask anything of you except a moment to slow down. And it won't try to talk you into anything.
WHAT'S INSIDE:
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13 practices to support nervous system healing
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• Brief explanation of the practice
• Simple exercise you can do anywhere
• Journaling prompts to reflect and notice
Get the free guide!
—Grounding practices for overwhelm
—Breath-based regulation tools
—Body scan for self-attunement
—Somatic awareness practices
—Reflection prompts for integration
—Simple rituals for nervous system care
Stay connected with supportive practices and reflections to slow down and simplify your life.
—— BEGIN HERE​
Something brought you here
Most women wait longer than they need to. You keep thinking you should be able to figure this out alone, or that things aren't that bad. You wait until there's finally more time in the schedule, except that time doesn't usually come.
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You already know this. That's probably part of why you're reading this right now.