Michelle’s counselling work is shaped by her own lived experience of chronic and invisible illness, and the long, often disheartening process of navigating healthcare systems that were not designed for complexity. She understands how symptoms are frequently dismissed, reframed as psychological weakness, or treated in isolation—leaving people feeling confused, unsafe, and disconnected from their own bodies.
Living with ADHD, ME/CFS, hypermobility, and chronic pain has given Michelle a deep, embodied understanding of how illness affects not just physical functioning, but emotional resilience, self-trust, and identity. She knows what it’s like to have capacity fluctuate unpredictably, to grieve former versions of yourself, and to carry the emotional weight of being misunderstood.
Through this lived experience, Michelle has found ways not only to live with her conditions, but to cultivate a life grounded in purpose, fulfilment, and moments of genuine joy—without denying limits or pushing beyond capacity. This experience informs how she holds space for her clients—with realism, compassion, and respect for the nervous system’s limits.
Michelle’s counselling approach is grounded in the understanding that many emotional struggles are nervous system responses, not personal failures. Chronic illness, disability, and prolonged stress place the body in states of threat and depletion that make regulation difficult. Rather than pushing insight or change too quickly, Michelle focuses on restoring a sense of safety first.
Her work helps clients recognise how their nervous system responds to stress, pain, uncertainty, and past medical trauma. Through somatic awareness, gentle regulation strategies, and psychoeducation, she supports clients to reduce overwhelm, soften hypervigilance, and rebuild internal steadiness. Emotional safety becomes the platform from which healing, meaning-making, and growth can occur.
Michelle supports neurodivergent clients navigating the layered realities of ADHD, autism, fatigue, pain, and fluctuating capacity. She understands how executive functioning differences, sensory sensitivity, and burnout can be amplified by chronic illness—often leading to shame, self-criticism, and unrealistic expectations.
Her work makes space for grief around lost capacity, identity shifts, and the mismatch between who someone was expected to be and who their body now allows them to be. Michelle helps clients reconnect with their values, redefine success on their own terms, and build self-trust in bodies that have felt unreliable or unsafe. Neurodivergence is treated as a difference to be understood and supported—not something to overcome.
Working with Michelle feels calm, steady, and unrushed. Sessions are flexible and responsive, shaped by the client’s energy, capacity, and needs on the day. She uses creative, reflective, and body-aware approaches, allowing space for emotion without pressure to perform or “fix” anything quickly.
Michelle offers a counselling relationship grounded in trust, curiosity, and respect. She understands that progress is not linear, and that healing often begins with being met exactly where you are. Her work supports clients to feel more resourced, more regulated, and more at home in themselves—especially when life has required constant adaptation.