Micheal "Mike" Montgomery

Micheal "Mike" Montgomery is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with six years of experience practicing in Minnesota. He focuses on practical support for people facing stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, and depression. Mike aims to meet people where they are and help them move forward at a steady pace.

Mike believes each person knows their own story and brings strengths into the room. He uses those strengths to help clients address painful feelings like guilt, shame, and loneliness. Conversations are straightforward and focused on what will make daily life more manageable.

In sessions Mike helps people break problems into smaller steps. He uses tools from cognitive behavioral approaches to spot unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. He also draws on skills from dialectical behavior approaches to help manage intense emotions and improve coping during crises.

People can expect a collaborative style where the therapist and client set goals together. Mike encourages small experiments between sessions so progress can be measured and adjusted. He emphasizes clear, realistic steps rather than long lists of abstract advice.

Taking the first step can be hard, and Mike recognizes that. He invites people who are struggling with isolation or panic to try a session and see if the approach feels like a fit.

How CBT and DBT translate to online work

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing small behavior changes to see what helps. It is often used for anxiety, depression, panic, and social anxiety by practicing new responses in everyday situations. DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy, teaches skills for managing strong emotions and reducing impulsive reactions through concrete techniques like grounding, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation. These skills can be useful for trauma reactions, addiction urges, and overwhelming shame.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. Goals and techniques are adjusted over time based on what is working in session and between meetings.

Session formats are not specified in the original biography, so confirm current options before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life by reducing travel and allowing for quicker check-ins around work or caregiving. It can also let people practice skills in the settings where they live and interact, and it makes it simpler to continue care when scheduling changes occur.