Michele Mendenhall

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s degree from Rutgers University–New Brunswick and more than 15 years of experience supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families through life’s challenges. My career began with work with adolescents in therapeutic foster care and the juvenile justice system, and expanded to more than a decade of work in education, including roles as a School Social Worker and Director of Guidance.

Throughout my career, I’ve supported individuals navigating anxiety, stress, life transitions, relationships, identity, school and family concerns, and other challenges that can leave us feeling overwhelmed or stuck. I bring compassion, cultural awareness, humor, and practical strategies into my work. My goal is to create a space where you can show up as yourself, feel heard and understood, and develop tools that help you move toward the life you want.

My approach is both reality-based and strengths-based. I believe every client, regardless of ability, background, or diagnosis, deserves respect, dignity, and an active role in their own healing. Therapy with me is collaborative; we’ll work together to understand what’s happening in your life, identify your goals, build on the strengths you already have, and develop practical strategies you can actually use outside of our sessions.

I practice through a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens because our identities, relationships, communities, and experiences all shape how we move through the world. I welcome feedback and encourage self-advocacy, including telling me when something isn’t working for you. You are the expert on your own life; my role is to help you make sense of what you're experiencing, recognize patterns, explore possibilities, and support you as you decide what change looks like for you.

You can expect warmth, honesty, compassion, and yes, sometimes humor. My goal is to create a nonjudgmental space where you can feel heard and understood as you do meaningful work toward the life you want.

Our first session is about getting to know you, not rushing you to tell your entire life story. We’ll talk about what brought you to therapy, what’s happening in your life right now, and what you hope will be different. I’ll ask questions, but you’re always welcome to tell me if you’re not ready to discuss something. Together, we’ll begin identifying your goals and what support might be most helpful. Most importantly, we’ll start figuring out whether I feel like the right therapist for you.