Therapist profile
Michelle Lakefield, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor - Family and Parenting
Continue with MichelleAbout
- Stress and anxiety
- Parenting concerns
- Solution-focused methods
About Michelle
Michelle Lakefield is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensed in New Jersey with 20 years of experience. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, grief, anger, parenting strains, and mood challenges like depression and bipolar disorder. She also supports people dealing with trauma, LGBT-related issues, eating concerns, ADHD, and intimacy-related challenges.
She uses a practical, person-focused way of working. Conversations are straightforward and centered on what is happening now and what the person wants to change. Michelle listens for patterns that keep problems repeating and helps people try small, manageable steps to test new approaches.
Her work draws on client-centered principles to prioritize the person’s perspective. She also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify thought patterns and solution-focused methods to build short-term goals. Internal Family Systems ideas may be used to look at different parts of the self and how they influence behavior.
Michelle has worked in mental health settings for two decades and brings that experience to everyday problems at home. She often helps with blended family issues, caregiver stress, communication problems, codependency, and fatherhood concerns. She also supports people coping with divorce, domestic violence, and family-of-origin wounds.
If you are an English speaker living in or connected to New Jersey, she is listed as licensed there. The practice asks people to complete a short matching questionnaire before scheduling a first session.
How sessions work
How her approaches shape online work
Michelle blends client-centered care with cognitive behavioral methods and solution-focused therapy when working with people online. Client-centered work means the therapist listens closely to the person’s priorities and responds to their experience. This helps when the main need is being heard and understood.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes. It can help with anxiety, depression, and stress by giving clear tools to try between sessions. Solution-Focused Therapy emphasizes practical, short-term goals and steps that can change daily routines and relationships quickly.
Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Michelle will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they decide which methods to use and adjust those methods over time to fit what actually helps.
The profile does not list specific session formats, so confirm the options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy day, require less travel, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises, homework, and goal-setting to work well over distance, helping therapy fit into everyday life.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
New Jersey
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, grief, anger, parenting issues, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma and related topics listed in her profile.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is person-focused and practical. She combines client-centered listening with cognitive behavioral and solution-focused techniques to set concrete goals.
How much experience does she have?
She has 20 years of professional experience working in mental health settings and with everyday family and relationship problems.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensed in New Jersey and practices with that credential.
Can she work with people who speak other languages or live abroad?
Sessions are offered in English. She does accept international clients according to the profile.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography does not specify session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start a first session?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.