Michael Knapik, LPC, LCMHC

Michael Knapik is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in Vermont. He is also certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors, a national organization that recognizes counselors who meet established professional standards. He has worked in the mental health field since 2007, following a 30-year career as a professional journalist.

His counseling style is grounded in a strengths-based perspective. He views clients as the experts on their own lives and sees therapy as a space to help them more clearly identify what is already working, then build on those capabilities in practical, meaningful ways.

Michael takes an eclectic approach, drawing from positive psychology along with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based stress reduction, emotional freedom techniques, solution-focused therapy, compassion-focused therapy, and family systems. He has experience supporting people navigating anxiety and stress, addictive disorders, grief and loss, depression, self-harming behaviors, and end-of-life concerns. He also brings long-term exposure to hospice settings through 16 years as a hospice volunteer, informing a thoughtful approach to serious illness, caregiving, and life transitions.

Across his work, he encourages self-compassion as a steady, day-to-day practice that can help clients relate to themselves with more patience and care.