Meet Michelle
A Bit About Michelle…
Whether her clients are school-based or business-based, Michelle is ready to help. Michelle grew up in Norman, Oklahoma. She was heavily involved in media, yearbook, and soccer in high school. Michelle was an award-winning media producer and writer and was a four-year varsity soccer player, team captain, and an All-State soccer player.
Michelle went to the University of Oklahoma on a journalism scholarship. She was hired at the student newspaper - The Oklahoma Daily - and started working before she started classes. While there, she served as a reporter, copy editor, Sports Editor, Assistant Managing Editor, and Editor-in-Chief. She was also the Editor-in-Chief of the Sooner yearbook, making her the first woman and only second person in OU history to serve as Editor-in-Chief of both the OU newspaper and yearbook. While reporting at The Daily, Michelle was the first reporter on her team on the scene of the Oklahoma City bombing. She spent weeks covering the story, and it changed her life.
Following college, Michelle went to work as a reporter for The Daily Oklahoman. There, she covered non-profits, education, the police beat, and other news stories. She went to work for the American Red Cross Heart of Oklahoma Chapter as the Emergency Services Director. She was there for 5 weeks, when the May 3, 1999, tornado tore through her service area. Michelle responded and managed a large volunteer team to meet the needs of citizens across central Oklahoma.
After that experience, Michelle knew she wanted to do more to help people. That experience eventually led her to obtain her first Master’s Degree in Human Relations - Counseling. Michelle then alternately certified as a school counselor and began her career as a middle school counselor, in Norman.
Michelle spent five years as a middle school counselor before moving to the high school as the Student Advocacy Coordinator. Michelle trail-blazed as an advocate, which was the first position of its kind at a K-12 public school in the nation.
From there, Michelle was hired as the Director of Prevention at the Oklahoma State Department of Education. While at the OSDE, Michelle created multiple professional development sessions and traveled across Oklahoma, training hundreds of educators. While there, Michelle grew her knowledge of trauma-informed practices and school crisis.
Michelle loved the leadership aspect of working at the OSDE and knew she needed high school counseling experience to continue advancing in her field. So she returned to Norman North High School, where she spent three years as a counselor.
In 2020, Michelle was chosen to lead all the counselors in Mid-Del Schools as the Instructional Facilitator of Counseling. While there, she wrote policies and procedures, provided training and resources for the district, and wrote and was awarded a million-dollar grant for prevention services. She also helped the district navigate all the new things that came as a result of the pandemic, including online learning and counseling.
Michelle then had the opportunity to return to the OSDE as the Crisis Team Counselor, where she led crisis response to all 500+ public schools in Oklahoma. She collaborated with other states and Oklahoma districts and agencies. She wrote new trainings, provided policy guidance, and answered the crisis hotline.
She was then promoted to Executive Director of Prevention and Intervention Services, where she led the Alternative Education team, the Prevention Team, the Homeless Student Services Team, and the Crisis Team. She worked at the executive level to make changes for schools, districts, and students.
While Michelle had already been in private practice since February 2020, she moved into full-time private practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor in May 2023.
Meet the Fam
Michelle is a licensed professional counselor and consultant.
Michelle has been in the counseling profession since 2010. She has worked with people of all ages and backgrounds in the educational setting and in a private practice setting.