About Michelle (she/her/siya)

I’d like to think my curiosity about people - how we come to be, how we relate with others, how we evolve - has always been a part of me. Growing up, I have always been interested in self-help books, listening to people's stories, and helping people feel seen and heard. I provide culturally responsive psychotherapy, hold a safe space for my clients with empathy, and assist in bringing the unconscious into consciousness where healing and growth take place. At the core of my work as a psychotherapist is the desire to help people explore the parts of themselves that long for change, connection, and internal peace.

Though I may pull from a variety of modalities, my psychotherapy approach is depth-oriented, trauma-informed, attachment-based, and humanistic, and I often incorporate inner child work. Additionally, I am trained in advanced Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the Gottman Method, and Humanistic Sandtray Therapy (HST). I am a Bringing Baby Home Educator and adjunct professor at The Chicago School in Southern California.

therapeutic MODALITIES

Psychodynamic Theory:
helps in bringing unconscious patterns into awareness and helps in addressing unresolved issues
Attachment Theory:
helps in understanding how early childhood experiences, especially with attachment figures, shape how we do relationships and helps in developing secure attachments
Gestalt Therapy:
helps foster increased self-awareness and personal growth by focusing on what comes alive in the here and now

credentials

California Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC No. 16591
National Certified Counselor, NCC No. 884195

specialized training

Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care (2024)
The Gottman Institute’s Bringing Baby Home (2019 & 2023)
Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship & Core Skills (2017 & 2018)
The Gottman Method I (2017)
Humanistic Sandtray Therapy I & II (2016)

Education

Marymount University, Virginia
M.A., Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CACREP accredited program)

Affiliations

American Counseling Association (ACA)
International Association for Resilience and Trauma Counseling (IARTC)
Postpartum Health Alliance (PHA)
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
Mu Upsilon Gamma Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, Counseling Honor Society

Professional Conference Presentations

Clark, M. (2021, November 4-6). Mental health matters: Overcoming the stigma among Filipinos [Conference presentation]. Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) Filipino Young Leaders Virtual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia.

Kakkar, S. & Clark, M. (2018, July 20). Alternative ways of knowing and mentoring [Conference presentation]. Association for Adult Development and Aging (AADA) Conference, Arlington, Virginia.

Lopez, M., Kahoe, B., & Archer, T. (2017, April 8). Humanistic sandtray therapy: An expressive modality of psychotherapy [Conference presentation]. Chi Sigma Iota Rho Theta Chapter Conference, Washington, District of Columbia.

Georgieva, M., Kahoe, B., Lopez, M., & Archer, T. (2017, February 25). A case study in humanistic sandtray therapy [Conference presentation]. Virginia Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (VACES) Conference, Norfolk, Virginia.

Georgieva, M., Lopez, M., & Kahoe, B. (2016, November 3-5). Oppression and mental health: Intersection between cultural identity and theoretical orientation [Roundtable session]. Maryland Counseling Association (MCA) Conference, Baltimore, Maryland.

Georgieva, M., Lopez, M., Walker-Shelton, L., & Kahoe, B. (2016, February 27). Overcoming eclecticism: Identify your theoretical foundation [Conference presentation]. Virginia Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (VACES) Conference, Arlington, Virginia.