IFSTherapists

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LCSW

Michelle Varady, LCSW

  • Experience10 years
  • LocationCalifornia
  • Focus areasStress and Anxiety, Addictions, and Trauma and abuse
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
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About Michelle

Michelle Varady is a licensed clinical social worker who brings a decade of therapeutic experience to her practice in California. She centers her work on helping clients move beyond symptom relief toward understanding the underlying parts of the self, using Internal Family Systems as a guiding framework.

Background and approach

Michelle also integrates evidence-based techniques from CBT, DBT, mindfulness, solution-focused practice, and trauma-informed somatic methods to address a wide range of concerns including anxiety, addiction, trauma, depression, and ADHD. Her approach balances exploration with practical tools, pairing deeper inner work with strategies for managing everyday challenges like sleep disruption, panic, and mood instability.

Michelle frames clients as the experts of their own stories and works collaboratively to strengthen internal resources, address patterns such as codependency or control issues, and navigate life transitions. She holds LCSW credentials and offers services tailored to individual needs with attention to both immediate coping and longer-term change.

Integrating Parts Work and Skills Through Online Therapy

Internal Family Systems (IFS) emphasizes understanding distinct internal parts and fostering a calm, centered Self that can relate to those parts; this approach helps people explore roots of patterns like shame, addiction, or persistent anxiety. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, offering structured strategies for mood, sleep, panic, and stress management. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) adds practical skills in emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, which can be especially useful for managing intense emotions and impulsivity.

Choosing the right method is part of the therapeutic process, and the therapist collaborates with each client to determine which combination of approaches best matches their needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative stance helps shape a plan that balances deeper internal exploration with concrete skill building.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility and access. These options allow clients to fit therapy into varied schedules and life circumstances while maintaining continuity of care across locations, and they make it simpler to practice new skills between sessions with ongoing support from a licensed professional.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does this therapist address?
Michelle works with a broad range of issues including stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, self esteem, depression, grief, sleeping problems, bipolar disorder, coping with life changes, and ADHD along with related topics such as codependency and panic attacks.
How would you describe the therapeutic style and approach?
The practice blends Internal Family Systems with practical interventions from CBT, DBT, mindfulness and solution-focused work, offering both inward exploration and concrete coping skills to manage symptoms and patterns.
What is the clinician's experience and background?
The clinician has 10 years of professional experience as a licensed social worker working with clients on trauma-related and mood concerns and integrating somatic-informed and trauma-focused techniques.
Where is the therapist licensed to practice?
Michelle holds LCSW credentials with California license CA LCSW 129263 and Nevada license NV LCSW 11399-C and is based in California.
Are sessions offered in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are conducted in English and international clients are accepted for online work.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different communication preferences.
How are fees and scheduling handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and services use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling a session according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyAddictionsTrauma and abuseSelf esteemDepression

Also works with

GriefSleeping disordersBipolar disorderCoping with life changesADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesCo-morbidityCodependencyCommunication problemsControl issuesDrug and alcohol addictionForgivenessGuilt and shameImpulsivityMidlife crisisMood disordersPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPhobiasPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

10+ years

Licensed

Nevada, California

Languages

English