Michael Knapik (LPC)

Hello. My name is Michael Knapik and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in Vermont. I am also certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors. I have been working in the mental health field since 2007. (Before pursuing this career, I was a professional journalist for 30 years.) My orientation is to focus on a client’s strengths, because I believe that clients are the experts in their own lives and that the role of therapy is most often to assist clients in fully recognizing and using those strengths. My approach to therapy is eclectic. I draw on resources and interventions from positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, emotional freedom techniques, solution-focused therapy, compassion-focused therapy, and family systems. I have experience working with those who are struggling with anxiety, stress, addictive disorders, grief and loss, end-of-life issues (I was a hospice volunteer for 16 years), depression, and self-harming behaviors. For today, my hope is that you have compassion for yourself. As Christopher Germer, a psychologist, has remarked: “A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.”