Dr. Michaela Hammer

Dr. Michaela Hammer uses a client-centered approach to guide people through big life transitions. She is an LCSW with 35 years of practice and focuses on helping people sort out changes in relationships, work, health, and family roles. She writes plainly and aims to separate myths from facts about aging, memory, mood, and neurodiversity so people can move forward with dignity.

She helps people facing grief, depression, anxiety, stress, and the strains of caregiving or divorce. She also supports those coping with ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, trauma and abuse, intimacy issues, parenting stresses, and career or purpose questions. Pet grief and loss is a newer focus; she offers counseling for people grieving a beloved animal companion.

Dr. Hammer has long experience working in homes, schools, retirement communities, nursing homes, and hospitals. She has set up memory clinics and carried out routine depression and anxiety assessments. She shares research and resources rather than handing out a label and walking away.

Her practice addresses multicultural concerns, aging and geriatric issues, autism and Asperger syndrome, hospice and end-of-life counseling, and isolation or loneliness. She describes clients as unique and says issues are not strictly age specific. Her goal is to help people find new hopes and realistic next steps.

As a seasoned clinician she draws on decades of work and life experience to listen, educate, and offer practical guidance. To begin she helps people identify what matters now and then supports small, manageable steps toward better day-to-day functioning.

How her methods translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building understanding; the therapist follows the person's lead, reflects concerns, and helps set goals that feel manageable. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and uses simple exercises to change unhelpful patterns, which can work well in regular check-ins. Motivational Interviewing helps people clarify their reasons for change and build small steps forward by exploring ambivalence in a collaborative way.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Dr. Hammer will work with each person to figure out which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She treats that choice as a collaboration and adjusts strategies as progress is made or circumstances change.

Specific session formats are not listed here, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, shorten travel time, and allow for more frequent brief check-ins when needed. They also make it simpler to maintain continuity of care during life transitions and to involve practical worksheets or home-based activities between meetings.