Michelle DeFino, LCSW

Michelle DeFino is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in New York with 3 years of clinical experience. She welcomes people who are ready to pursue change and work toward practical solutions for the struggles they are facing, and she draws on training in several evidence-informed approaches to tailor care to each person’s needs.

Michelle graduated from Binghamton University in 2008 and has primarily worked with clients affected by substance use and co-occurring concerns. She has supported people managing depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and other more severe mental health challenges, and for the past three years she has worked with a federal re-entry substance abuse program.

Her clinical style emphasizes collaboration and motivation. She integrates motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), solution-focused techniques, and mindfulness practices to help clients identify unhelpful patterns, shift thinking, and develop new coping strategies that fit daily life.

Michelle understands how challenging it can be to reach out for support and approaches each connection with respect and practical focus. She is open to working in different formats but prefers video sessions because they make it easier to build rapport and observe nonverbal cues. Michelle looks forward to partnering with people who want to move toward the life they hope to live.