Michelle Rittenour, LPC

Michelle Rittenour, LPC, helps people facing big life changes find clearer direction and steady footing. She focuses on practical steps clients can take, and she aims to build a collaborative working relationship where people feel heard and able to make choices that fit their lives.

She brings 11 years of clinical experience to sessions, including individual and group work in different settings. Much of her background includes supporting people affected by alcohol and drug dependency through group facilitation and prevention services. Michelle earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling and development from Texas Woman’s University. She also completed a certification in gerontology from the University of Texas at Arlington.

In therapy she uses straightforward, people-centered methods. Sessions often focus on identifying goals, naming obstacles, and trying small experiments that can lead to change. She draws on cognitive behavioral ideas to shift unhelpful thinking and on narrative and existential approaches to help clients clarify values and meaning.

Her practice covers a wide range of concerns. These include addictions, stress and anxiety, depression, grief, parenting strain, intimacy and relationship questions, career issues, and caregiving stress. She also addresses aging and geriatric issues, attachment and abandonment concerns, blended family challenges, body image, and other related topics.

Michelle works from Texas and conducts sessions in English. People who choose to start therapy complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule according to availability. She uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

Approaches Used Online to Find Meaning and Practical Change

Michelle blends client-centered work with cognitive behavioral techniques to help people move from stuck to active problem solving. Client-centered therapy means sessions start where the person is, with the therapist listening and following the client’s priorities to set goals. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and trying small behavior changes to reduce stress and improve mood.

She also uses existential and narrative ideas to help people make sense of life transitions and midlife questions. Existential work looks at values, purpose, and choices that matter most. Narrative work helps people tell and revise the stories they carry about themselves to open new options.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process and happens collaboratively. The therapist and client review goals, try methods, and adjust as progress and preferences become clearer. This helps ensure sessions match the client’s needs and what they want to accomplish.

Confirm the current session formats before booking since the biography does not list specific options. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It can also let someone take part from a quieter setting or choose an audio-only meeting if that better fits their day.