Michelle Fitz, M.Ed., Ed.S, LMFT, NCSP

Working with Individuals, Relationships, and Families mental health and well-being

MY APPROACH
I believe that all people come from a place of doing the best that they can, and that sometimes we all just need help accessing our internal resources and resiliency. I use a person-centered approach that integrates Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), mindfulness, psychoeducation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), attachment theory, and the Gottman Method for couples work. I also integrate Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy and somatic approaches for those who are interested in this deep and meaningful work. I will work with you individually or in a relationship to help identify unhealthy cycles, patterns, and self-messaging to help move through life’s transitions in a supported way. My intention is to offer a safe environment where you can comfortably process, grow, find your voice, explore new coping skills, learn new communication strategies, and moreover, develop hope. Life is a journey and living yours to the fullest is what I look forward to helping you navigate.

I welcome all races, all religions, all sexual orientations, all gender identities and expressions, all abilities, all ethnicities, all bodies, *all people*.


ABOUT ME
My name is Michelle Fitz. I was born and raised in Portland and have been an Oregonian my whole life. I am a licensed Couples and Family Therapist and Mental Health Therapist in both Oregon and Washington. I am also a nationally certified School Psychologist. I have been passionate about supporting people’s mental health and well-being for over 25 years.

I worked for many years across two community mental health agencies, between Eugene and Portland, focusing on therapy for at-risk youth in foster care who experienced severe mental and behavioral health challenges due to early trauma. I provided an array of services over these years involving skills training, individual therapy, family therapy, and program managing. I have also worked in two school districts in the Portland area assessing mental health and learning disabilities, while acting as supervisor to specialized programs to support students with high needs. In 2016 I transitioned from community mental health and educational settings for private practice.

Though my earlier years were focused on supporting youth, I evolved in training, experience, and expertise to specialize my work with adults, relationships, and families. I chose my masters program very carefully for this reason, as it emphasized “systems theory,” the concept of being in relation to one another. I see things through a lens that we are not alone in the world; rather I view all problems in context as interactional and interdependent with each other. I bring to the work an awareness of life difficulties based on personal experience of being in a relationship for over 20 years, living in a multicultural blended family, being primary parent as a step-parent, as well as being a caretaker to a live-in parent with dementia. I have a deep appreciation for having to adapt to life’s constant changing.

*While I am not on insurance panels, many insurance companies will reimburse a significant amount for out-of-network mental health benefits. For clients who would like to seek reimbursement, I provide a receipt ("Superbill") for your convenience and am happy to give advice and clear guidance about this process.