Michelle Santana

Michelle Santana is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who helps people feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected. She works with adults and teens on anxiety, depression, stress, and life transitions. Michelle practices in Connecticut and offers sessions in English and Spanish.

Her approach is practical and collaborative. She blends evidence-based therapeutic techniques with reflective work that looks at past experiences and body-centered awareness. Michelle uses solution-focused steps when clients want clear, short-term goals alongside deeper exploration when that feels needed.

Many people seek her support for issues like relationship patterns, family of origin concerns, and career or identity questions. She also addresses topics such as abandonment, attachment issues, body image, caregiver stress, and feelings of emptiness or loneliness. Michelle aims to help clients notice patterns and try small, measurable changes.

Sessions are described as straightforward and honest, with room for empathy and gentle challenge. Michelle emphasizes cultural identity and family dynamics, drawing on her own background as a first-generation professional to inform culturally aware care. She meets clients where they are and works at a pace that feels manageable.

For people who prefer clear steps, she offers solution-focused strategies. For those who want deeper inquiry, she integrates reflective and somatic practices to reconnect thoughts and bodily experience. This mix is meant to support lasting, realistic change.

How Michelle’s evidence-based techniques translate to online work

Michelle integrates evidence-based therapeutic techniques with somatic and reflective practices. Evidence-based techniques focus on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of responding, which can be useful for anxiety and depression. Somatic approaches notice how emotions show up in the body and teach simple skills to regulate physical reactions during stressful moments.

She also uses reflective work that looks at past experiences and relationship patterns to understand current reactions. That kind of work helps when loneliness, attachment wounds, or family of origin issues repeat in everyday life. The therapist and client decide together which mix of approaches fits best, adjusting as goals and needs change in sessions.

Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow for continuity when life is in flux. Confirm the specific session formats offered before booking, since they are not listed here. Michelle will collaborate on scheduling and approach so therapy can match daily routines and goals.