01 · Who Michelle works with

Michelle works with stress, Anxiety, grief and self esteem

Michelle lists 17 specialisms and 30 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Michelle chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Michelle's own words

What Michelle says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Thank you so much for reading my bio. My name is Michelle (Sheli), and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Therapist. I was born and raised in the Bay Area, CA., and I love being able to give back to the communities that gave so much to me.

A little about myself: My path to becoming a therapist came from the desire to understand my very own journey in life. At a young age, I was faced with a combination of challenges that I did not understand or know how to navigate. I wanted to sort out what was carried over from childhood experiences, and what I could learn to accomplish as an adult - utilizing my own strengths in conjunction with the skills I had learned while getting through challenging times. I wanted to learn how to build a safe home environment and a stronger mental stability, in order to have healthier relationships with friends, family, partners, co-workers, and most importantly – myself.

My Therapeutic Process: I approach the therapeutic relationship and process with the utmost sensitivity, respect, active listening, and lack of judgement. I have experience in various cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds in both my personal and professional life, but I believe the best approach is to learn from the client's perspective of their own experiences. I have had great opportunities to work with (and learn from) various populations in all walks of life including older adults, incarcerated youth/adults, college students, LGBTQQIA+, multi-cross cultural families, blended families, and many others who have struggled to feel accepted when they were facing medical, educational, and mental health challenges - or just the everyday struggles and complexity of life.

My clinical experience is eclectic - including providing therapy and mental health education to individuals, couples, families, groups, and communities. I have had the privilege of practicing in various settings including domestic violence centers, medical facilities/hospitals, community agencies, youth organizations, and private practice. I use a Strength Based approach, and utilize a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Positive Psychology, and Family Structural Systems along with additional resources to fit your need.

Along with my professional education, my own therapy process was a huge part of the education, insight, understanding, and healing I needed to understand how to work in the field of therapy - and provide the most comprehensive assistance to others to the best of my ability.

I know that it takes a lot of courage and strength to reach out for assistance at times, and I hope to help you achieve your therapeutic goals, with actionable outcomes, to gain a better sense of overall well-being and continued success.

Michelle (Sheli) Miller, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Michelle works

The 7 approaches Michelle lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Michelle lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Michelle's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Michelle runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Michelle practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Michelle's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Michelle at this point.

2. Naming Michelle specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Michelle is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Michelle.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Michelle

Built from what Michelle actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Michelle's - Michelle has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 18 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCSW

Licensed in

California

Licence

CA LCSW 27632

Licence number

27632

Licence expires

28 Feb 2027

NPI

1154598969

Years in practice

18

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Michelle's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Michelle. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.