Therapist Spotlight

Therapist Spotlight: Christin Perry-Michalik, LPC

Cpmichalik Ts

What do you specialize in?

I have experience with both children and adults, but a majority of my experience and training is working with children and adolescents.  I love both “talk therapy” with older teens as well as the variety and interactivity of play therapy with younger children.  It’s so amazing to watch children be able to communicate through play when they may not be able to do so yet with verbally.  I have worked many years with a variety of mental health concerns with children such as depression, anxiety, Behavioral concerns, and family communication and parenting.  I have national certification in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). I have many years of experience working with children and adolescents with multiple traumas and I also worked in the foster care system.  I have a strong passion for helping adults and children be able to process their traumatic experiences so that these experiences don’t define their lives, and this process can instill hope.

 

What do you think is important about your role as a therapist?

I feel that my role as a therapist is important because I can be that non-biased outside person for people who may find it difficult to talk about some things with their loved ones.  I get to be the mirror that empowers people to see the potential in themselves and in their children.  My job is to connect with people and to meet them where they are to help them see how change is possible.  I can serve as a sounding board, source of information, teacher of skills and facilitator of communication.  My role can vary depending on what is needed from each person and/or family as therapy centers around the needs of the individual or family.

 

How do you help people, in your opinion?

I help people by being a welcoming person during times when people may feel scared or feel a loss of hope.  I can help people feel that hope is possible and that they have someone working with them to help them guide them through tough times.

 

What is something that you wish people knew about your specialty, or about therapy in general? 

I wish people knew that therapy isn’t as scary as they might think and that we even laugh often in therapy.  I also wish that people realized that they are not alone and that many people go to or have gone to therapy at some point in their lives during difficult times.  I think sometimes people believe that if they have had a traumatic experience or a history of prolonged trauma that this is something that cannot get better.  My hope is for people to be able to work through difficult experiences so they can move forward with their lives and become stronger and more empowered through that process. 

 

Name an influential person or experience in your life.

I feel the most influential people in my life have been my own children and all of the children and adults I have worked with throughout my years as a therapist.  People that have had difficult experiences inspire me and give me hope.  To see the resiliency of an adult or child through difficult times speaks to the strength we all have inside that we all need to be reminded of at times. 


Christin Perry-Michalik is located at our Great Lakes Psychology Group – Novi office. To learn more about Christin, please visit her therapist profile.