- Guilt and shame
- Talk therapy
- Creative expression
About Michelle
Michelle Pliska is a Licensed Professional Counselor - Mental Health (LPC-MH) and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in South Dakota with 18 years of experience. She works with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, LGBT concerns, and coping with life changes. Michelle helps people who carry guilt and shame from relationships, faith, or past choices figure out what matters most now.
Her approach is practical and conversational. Sessions are mostly talk therapy with options to use music, art, or other creative expressions when that feels helpful. Michelle draws on experience from clinical mental health, school settings, and juvenile justice work to shape how she talks through problems and setbacks.
In sessions she listens for patterns that keep someone stuck - like isolation, difficulty forgiving oneself, or persistent worry about the future. She then works with each person to try simple, concrete steps that can ease the day-to-day strain. These might include short behavioral experiments, communication practice, or ways to notice and name painful feelings.
Michelle also supports people dealing with caregiver stress, workplace issues, money worries, and questions about life purpose. She commonly addresses abandonment, loneliness, post-traumatic stress, sexuality, and midlife transition concerns. The focus is on practical ways to manage symptoms and regain steadier functioning.
People who choose her describe a straightforward style and clear focus on next steps. To begin, prospective clients follow the practice's intake flow to match and schedule a first appointment.
How therapeutic methods appear in online sessions
Michelle works with commonly used evidence-based techniques adapted for conversational sessions. One approach focuses on noticing and naming thoughts and feelings, then testing small behavioral steps to reduce daily distress; this helps with anxiety, depression, and guilt that keeps someone stuck. Another approach incorporates creative expression such as music or art to access emotions that are hard to put into words and to try different ways of responding to shame.Choosing a method is collaborative. The therapist reviews what feels most relevant and practical, then suggests short experiments and communication practice to see what helps. Clients and the therapist check in together and adjust methods based on how well they fit the person's goals and preferences.
Session formats are not specified in the supplied biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and remove travel time so sessions can match a work or caregiving routine. Licensed professionals will discuss how to structure sessions to suit someone's schedule and needs.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Experience
18+ years
Listed in
South Dakota, California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she focus on?
She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, LGBT concerns, and coping with life changes, including guilt and shame.
How would she approach feelings of shame?
She uses conversational talk therapy and may add music or art to help name feelings and practice small steps toward change.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 18 years of professional experience across clinical mental health, schools, and juvenile justice settings.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She holds LPC-MH in South Dakota and LPCC in California and practices from South Dakota.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the US work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions scheduled and what do they cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.