Services

As a licensed clinical psychologist, I have the ability to deliver a range of services to create and deliver highly customized treatment plans.

Familiarize yourself below with the types of assessment and intervention tools I can use to meet your needs and goals.

Psychotherapy services are currently available remotely (telehealth) and in-person within the offices of WestArbor Psychological Services (formerly Sullivan, Nolan & Associates) at 3700 W. Liberty St. in Ann Arbor. Most assessment procedures will need to be conducted in the office only.

Intake/
Consultation		This is where it all begins. Perhaps you’re not sure what you need or where to start. Scheduling an intake session will allow us to have time to talk though your history, current status, and goals, including any psychosocial, medical, and other barriers to improved quality of life. This session will lay a foundation for treatment if needed and may also inform the direction of additional formal assessment.


Types Assessment
Mood/PersonalityThis type of assessment is a routine part of psychotherapy or treatment for mood or behavioral problems. I use specialized instruments to measure your symptoms and aspects of your personality or coping style that help me devise a plan for treating you that will be most effective. This type of assessment may be ongoing during treatment to measure progress or modify the approach.
NeuropsychologicalNeuropsychological assessment is used to look at aspects of cognition- things like thinking, learning, attention, memory, visual skills, language, and problem solving. We know these functions are generally linked to the health of one’s brain so this type of assessment might be done to help clarify a neurological diagnosis (like dementia), to document strengths and weaknesses, and to track recovery after a neurologic problem (like brain injury). The information obtained via neuropsychological assessment allows for generation of recommendations that seek to maximize one’s health, independent living, and success in activities like work and school while ensuring safety and well-being.
Presurgical The outcome of some elective surgeries like spinal cord stimulator implantation (for treatment of chronic pain) has been shown in research to be related to certain psychosocial factors that can be identified before surgery is performed. Many insurers and surgeons require this type of evaluation prior to authorizing or performing a procedure. While this type of assessment cannot guarantee you will have a successful or unsuccessful outcome from surgery, it can give you and your medical providers additional objective information to use in making a decision about whether surgery is the best option for you. These assessments may also inform recommendations about things you can do to make you more likely to have a favorable outcome from elective surgery.

Intervention
PsychotherapyThis type of intervention is what most people have in mind when they think of counseling or “talk therapy.” One thing you might not have considered; however, is the science behind what happens in a session. In my practice, I am committed to providing only evidence-based treatments- that is, those that have demonstrated their success in research. This doesn’t mean that every intervention will always work for every person but rest assured, there are many evidenced-based interventions for most problems and ways of modifying or integrating them to create a custom solution. Through ongoing assessment, feedback from you, and collaboration from other providers as needed, psychotherapy can be a really rewarding process.

Psychotherapy: Potential areas of focus

  • Management of mood disruption (anxiety, depression) and associated symptoms that interfere with daily functioning
  • Adjustment to life with a disability or chronic health condition and exploring ways to achieve your goals while minimizing barriers
  • Improving relationships with family/friends/caregivers/significant others
  • Enhancing communication with others
  • Getting back to school, work, and/or community activities after change in health or ability status
  • Self-management of physical needs and other healthy behaviors
  • Coping with stress and/or grief
  • Pain management, non-medical strategies for coping with pain and pain interference
  • Sleep issues, promoting better sleep hygiene
  • Substance abuse difficulties
  • Assistance in adhering to physician recommendations
  • Development of compensatory strategies in the context of cognitive dysfunction associated with neurologic disorder, injury, and/or aging

Please don’t hesitate to contact me should you have any questions about the services outlined above. **Please note that email and phone contact should be limited to brief discussion regarding whether treatment is appropriate and scheduling logistics. Other clinical issues should be reserved for face-to-face (in-person or telehealth) sessions.

I am able to accept a variety of different insurance plans including BCBS, BCN, PHP, Priority Health, Aetna, & Medicare. Please contact Michelle’s Billing Service at 248-997-8641 verify whether I am in-network with your specific insurance provider.

I am not currently able to offer evening or weekend appointments.