Michelle Garibaldi
Compassionate, practical therapy for life transitions
LMFT California
- Experience
- 23 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Michelle
Michelle Garibaldi is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in California who focuses on helping people navigate stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, depression, addictions, grief, and related life changes.
Background and approach
With 23 years of professional experience, she combines warmth and empathy with practical, goal-oriented work to support clients who want clearer direction and improved emotional well-being. Michelle emphasizes collaboration, helping clients identify specific goals and develop steps to move toward them.
Her approach integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with client-centered listening and motivational techniques, plus elements of existential and mindfulness therapy when helpful. This mix lets her tailor sessions to whatever a person needs most - whether that means changing unhelpful thinking patterns, strengthening coping skills, or exploring meaning and values during difficult transitions.
Michelle’s practice also addresses issues such as intimacy concerns, parenting and blended family challenges, compassion fatigue, ADHD, end-of-life and hospice concerns, and midlife or career shifts. She offers multiple session formats to fit different lifestyles and uses an engaging, active style aimed at practical progress while honoring each client’s lived experience.
CBT and Collaborative Care Online
Michelle often draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients identify and shift unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns; this approach is well suited to anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and coping with life changes. She also uses client-centered techniques that prioritize empathic listening and the client’s own goals, which supports work on relationship concerns, grief, self-esteem, and parenting challenges.Choosing the right approach is treated as a collaborative process. The therapist will work together with each person to decide whether CBT, client-centered work, existential exploration, mindfulness practices, or motivational interviewing best fits their goals and preferences, and adjustments are made as progress unfolds.
Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, offering practical flexibility for busy schedules or those who need remote access. These formats make it possible to continue steady therapeutic work from different locations while keeping sessions consistent with a client’s life and availability.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
23+ years
Licensed
California
Languages
English