Michael Knapik

Michael Knapik is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) practicing in Vermont. He brings 18 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and life transitions. He aims to help clients notice and use their strengths so they can move forward at their own pace.

Michael's background includes many years in mental health work after a previous career in journalism. He uses a mix of practical techniques rather than a single method. That allows him to match tools to the problem at hand, whether it is panic, grief, sleep trouble, or issues with intimacy and relationships.

In sessions Michael usually focuses on what a person can build on. He draws on methods that help change unhelpful thinking, build new coping skills, and increase awareness of values and goals. He also uses strategies for managing strong emotions and for interrupting addictive patterns.

He has particular experience supporting people facing bereavement, end-of-life caregiving concerns, and compassion fatigue from sustained caring roles. He also works with mood disorders, bipolar symptoms, and process or substance addictions when these are part of a person’s current concerns.

Michael encourages small, practical steps and self-compassion as ways to create lasting change. He asks clients what matters most to them and helps design sessions around those priorities. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule according to the therapist's availability.

How Michael’s Approaches Translate to Online Work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small actions toward those values. It often focuses on accepting difficult feelings while choosing behavior that matches long-term goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) concentrates on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with practical experiments to reduce symptoms like anxiety and panic. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers concrete skills to manage intense emotions, improve distress tolerance, and strengthen interpersonal effectiveness.

Finding the right approach is part of therapy. Michael works collaboratively to see which methods fit a person's needs and preferences. He combines tools from these approaches so sessions match the client's goals rather than forcing a single method.

Confirm current session options before booking so you know which formats are available. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also support continuity of care during life transitions or when caregiving and work schedules make in-person visits difficult. Licensed professionals aim to adapt exercises, homework, and skills practice to work well through remote sessions, and Michael will discuss how to structure sessions so they fit daily life and goals.