Michele "Shelly" Virva, LMSW

Michele "Shelly" Virva is a licensed social worker with over 20 years of professional experience in Michigan. She centers sessions on the person in front of her, believing clients know their own stories and strengths. Shelly offers steady support while people take steps toward change and clearer goals.

She focuses on common struggles such as stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and substance use concerns. Midlife crisis and life transitions are also areas she helps people navigate. Her work often addresses practical problems like workplace stress, communication troubles, caregiver strain, and issues tied to pregnancy, childbirth, or women’s health.

Shelly uses a mix of approaches to fit each person’s needs. She draws from Client-Centered Therapy to build a respectful space and from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify patterns that keep difficulties going. Mindfulness and solution-focused techniques help people notice small changes that add up over time.

Sessions tend to emphasize collaborative goals and real steps. She encourages people to name what matters, try small experiments, and notice what shifts. When substance use or trauma are present, she pairs motivational strategies with focused work on coping and safety.

Her style is practical and straightforward. People who reach out can expect an attentive listener who helps them move from problem to plan. To begin, complete the site matching questionnaire and schedule according to the therapist’s availability.

How these approaches guide online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following the client's priorities. In practice that means the therapist offers empathic attention, asks about what matters most, and helps shape goals based on the person's own values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and behaviors keep problems going. It uses short experiments and clear practice tasks to change unhelpful patterns, which can help with anxiety, mood issues, and coping during transitions.

Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist works together with each person to decide which methods fit their needs and preferences. That choice can shift over time as goals change or new challenges appear, so the process remains collaborative and flexible.

Confirm the current session options before booking, as session formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make scheduling easier and help sessions fit into a busy life. It can reduce travel time, allow quicker check-ins between major appointments, and make it simpler to join from different locations. Some people prefer shorter or more frequent meetings, while others use sessions for focused skill practice and problem-solving. A therapist can help tailor session length and pacing to match everyday demands and goals.