Michelle Goodwater, LMHC

Michelle Goodwater is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in Washington with seven years of clinical experience. She offers a warm, interactive style and aims to create a respectful space for people facing major life changes and emotional struggles. Michelle's work is grounded in practical conversation and steady support when life feels overwhelming.

She draws on acceptance and commitment ideas alongside cognitive-behavioral tools to help people notice what matters and act on it. Client-centered principles guide sessions so each person’s voice shapes the plan. Michelle also uses elements from dialectical behavior approaches and EMDR when they fit the situation.

Her practice covers a wide range of concerns, including stress, anxiety, grief, self-esteem, depression, and career strain. She also supports people dealing with trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, sleep disturbance, anger, and compassion fatigue. Midlife transitions and coping with life changes are among the areas she addresses.

Michelle works with patterns that come from family of origin problems, attachment and abandonment issues, codependency, and communication struggles. She also helps people facing medical or fertility challenges, feelings of emptiness, and guilt or shame. Her approach adapts to each person’s background and goals.

Sessions focus on clear goals, skills to manage difficult moments, and steps toward a more satisfying daily life. Michelle emphasizes collaboration - she listens, offers options, and adjusts the plan based on what actually helps.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and take small, purposeful steps toward them even when emotions are strong. In practice this means noticing unhelpful thoughts, naming what matters, and trying actions that match those values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaching concrete skills to change them, which can help with anxiety, depression, sleep, and career-related stress. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) addresses distress linked to traumatic memories by pairing focused recall with guided bilateral stimulation to reduce the intensity of those memories and related reactions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences and then try methods that fit. Over time the plan can change based on what helps most, and the therapist aims to involve clients in each decision so progress feels practical and relevant.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the session formats before booking since specific formats are not listed in the biography. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT, CBT, and EMDR techniques to remote sessions, and the therapist will discuss how to structure meetings so they fit your routine and goals.