Michael Knapik, LPC, LCMHC

Michael Knapik is a licensed counselor who brings nearly two decades of mental health experience to his practice, combining formal training with long years of community involvement. He holds licenses as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia and as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in Vermont, and he is certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors - a national credential that recognizes professional standards in counseling. He has worked in the mental health field since 2007 and before that spent 30 years as a professional journalist, a background that informs his careful listening and clear communication.

Michael orients his work around clients' strengths, operating from the belief that people are the experts in their own lives and that therapy often serves to help them recognize and use those strengths more fully. His approach is eclectic and practical, drawing on positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based stress reduction, emotional freedom techniques, solution-focused therapy, compassion-focused practices, and family systems perspectives to tailor interventions to each person's needs.

He has experience supporting people facing anxiety, stress, addictive disorders, grief and loss, end-of-life concerns from his 16 years as a hospice volunteer, depression, and self-harming behaviors. Throughout his practice he emphasizes self-compassion and small, meaningful shifts in daily life, echoing the idea from psychologist Christopher Germer that "A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life."