Michele Villarreal, LMFT, EMDR & Trauma Therapist
Michele Villarreal, LMFT
Founder & Clinical Supervisor
I believe many people come to therapy not because they are weak, but because they have been strong for a very long time.
The clients I work with are often the people others depend on. They are professionals, parents, caregivers, and high achievers who appear capable on the outside but feel exhausted, overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck on the inside. Many have spent years pushing through difficult experiences, taking care of others, and trying to manage everything on their own.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Before becoming a therapist, I spent many years working as a Project Manager and Program Director in healthcare and land development. I also earned an MBA with a focus in healthcare management and built a career centered on leadership, problem-solving, and helping organizations navigate complex challenges. While I valued that work, I found myself increasingly drawn to understanding people—their stories, relationships, struggles, and capacity for growth and healing.
That interest eventually led me to pursue a second career as a Marriage and Family Therapist. I have an undegraduate degree from UC Davis in Sociology - Law and Society and earned a Master or Arts (M.A.) degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Alliant International University. I am also trained in EMDR (pursuing certification) and currently being trained in Thais Gibson’s Integrated Attachment Theory (IAT).
My previous career gives me a unique perspective in the therapy room. I understand the pressures that come with demanding careers, leadership roles, parenting responsibilities, and trying to balance competing demands while maintaining the appearance that everything is under control. I also understand that insight alone isn’t always enough to create change.
In addition to my professional training and clinical experience, I bring personal insight into many of the challenges I help clients navigate. While every person’s journey is unique, I understand firsthand that healing is not just something we talk about in therapy—it is something we actively live. That perspective allows me to approach each client with empathy, authenticity, and hope.
Send Me A Message
My approach to therapy is warm, collaborative, and practical. I strive to create a space where you feel understood, challenged when appropriate, and supported as you work toward meaningful change. Therapy is not about fixing what is wrong with you. It is about understanding the experiences, beliefs, and patterns that have shaped your life and determining whether those patterns are still serving you today.
I specialize in working with adults and couples navigating trauma, anxiety, relationship difficulties, attachment wounds, and the lasting impact of childhood experiences. Many of my clients struggle with people-pleasing, chronic self-doubt, perfectionism, difficulty setting boundaries, or a persistent feeling that they are never quite good enough despite their accomplishments.
I am EMDR trained and frequently incorporate Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) into treatment when appropriate. EMDR is an evidence-based approach that helps individuals process painful experiences and reduce the emotional impact of past events that continue to influence the present. I also draw from attachment-based therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and other trauma-informed approaches to tailor treatment to each client’s needs.
For couples, I focus on helping partners improve communication, rebuild trust, strengthen emotional connection, and better understand the patterns that keep them feeling stuck. My goal is to help couples move beyond blame and defensiveness so they can create healthier, more fulfilling relationships.
As a practicing Catholic, I welcome clients who wish to incorporate faith into the counseling process. At the same time, I work with individuals from all backgrounds, beliefs, and life experiences. Faith-based counseling is always available when requested and never required.
I believe healing happens when we can better understand our stories without being defined by them. Many of the strategies that helped us survive difficult experiences earlier in life can later become barriers to connection, peace, and fulfillment. Therapy provides an opportunity to examine those patterns with curiosity and compassion while creating new ways of relating to yourself and others.
Whether you are struggling with anxiety, relationship challenges, trauma, or simply feeling stuck, therapy can be a place to gain clarity, develop new tools, and move toward the life you want to create.
I would be honored to be part of that journey.
Specialties
EMDR Therapy
Work through distressing memories and emotional triggers using a structured approach designed to support healing.
Couples Therapy
Improve communication, rebuild trust, and work through recurring conflict so you can create a stronger, more secure, and connected relationship.
Trauma Therapy
Process painful experiences in a supportive space and begin building a greater sense of safety, stability, and self-trust.
Narcissistic Abuse Therapy
Heal from emotionally harmful relationship patterns, rebuild confidence, strengthen boundaries, and trust your own thoughts, feelings, and decisions again.
Catholic & Christian Counseling
Receive professional therapeutic support that can thoughtfully incorporate your Christian faith, values, and beliefs.