Michelle Santana, LCSW

Michelle Santana is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Connecticut with seven years of experience. She works with teens and adults who face anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem, career concerns, and major life changes. Michelle also addresses issues such as abandonment, attachment wounds, blended family tensions, and multicultural concerns. Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.

Michelle focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected from themselves. She uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques alongside reflective work that looks at past experiences. That can include inner child work and somatic, or mind-body, approaches when it fits the person’s needs.

When appropriate, Michelle moves toward more solution-focused work. That means setting clear, practical steps to try between sessions. She balances direct conversation with quieter exploration so people can both understand patterns and practice different responses.

She pays attention to cultural identity and family dynamics, drawing on her own first-generation perspective to inform the work. For teens, common concerns include school stress, friendship problems, and family conflict. For adults, common themes are relationship patterns, career stress, and questions about life purpose.

Michelle describes her style as collaborative and honest. She aims to be straightforward while also challenging unhelpful patterns when that supports change. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule an initial session via the online therapy options button.

Background and approach: Michelle combines practical planning with deeper reflective work. She helps people name what is happening, try small experiments, and adjust plans as needed. Over time the work focuses on concrete skills for coping and clearer choices about relationships, work, and values.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work