Michelle Chartrand

Hi, I’m Michelle! I earned both my Bachelor of Science in Social Work and Master of Social Work from Portland State University, where my training emphasized serving underserved and diverse communities. Early in my career, I gained experience working with individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness, including psychotic disorders, while also participating in community outreach through settings such as homeless shelters and needle exchange programs.

Since moving to Reno, I’ve found a particular passion for helping people navigate trauma, relationships, and the many transitions that can make life feel overwhelming or uncertain. I work with clients facing relationship challenges, breakups, career changes, major life transitions, and the lasting effects of difficult or traumatic experiences.

My approach is supportive, collaborative, and tailored to the individual. I believe therapy should be a space where you can be open about what you’re experiencing while also developing practical tools, greater insight, and confidence in how you move forward. I welcome clients across the lifespan and enjoy working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences.

My approach to therapy is warm, supportive, and goal-oriented. I believe therapy should be a space where you feel heard and understood, but I also believe in helping you move forward. I take an active role in the therapeutic process and will gently challenge you, hold you accountable, and encourage you to take meaningful steps toward the goals that brought you to therapy.

I enjoy helping clients build insight into their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships while also developing practical skills they can use outside of our sessions. Depending on your needs, I incorporate approaches such as CBT, ACT, exposure and response prevention (ERP), mindfulness, and other evidence-based interventions.

I particularly enjoy working with individuals navigating trauma, anxiety, OCD, relationship challenges, breakups, career changes, and other major life transitions. My goal is to meet you where you are while supporting you in getting where you want to be. Therapy can be challenging at times, and I’ll be there to support you through that discomfort while also encouraging growth, accountability, and forward progress.

Our first session is really about getting to know you. I want to understand what brought you to therapy, what has been going on in your life, and some of the experiences that have shaped who you are. I also want to learn about you beyond the challenges you’re facing—what you enjoy, what matters to you, and what you hope to get out of therapy.

I don’t go into a first session with a rigid set of expectations. Sometimes you may be ready to talk about goals and start figuring out where you want to go, and other times you may simply need a safe space to let everything out and have someone listen. I’m happy to be that sounding board when you need it.

I believe in meeting you where you are and allowing our sessions to adapt to what you need in that moment. We’ll begin identifying what you’d like to work toward, but there is no pressure to have everything figured out on day one. My goal is for you to leave your first session feeling heard, supported, and a little more comfortable with the path ahead.