MICHAELA HYDUKE, LMHC
Senior Staff Therapist (she/her/hers)
Michaela is a Mental Health Counselor providing therapy for adolescents, adults, and couples.
She holds a Master of Arts degree in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness from New York University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology, with a concentration in Medical Sociology. Her educational path has given her a comprehensive understanding of humanity and mental health at both the micro and macro-levels. She completed her clinical training at a community mental health clinic where she provided weekly psychotherapy to a diverse clientele. She is especially passionate about women’s issues and the healing of sexual and emotional trauma.
Michaela understands that feelings are heavy and cultivates a space that allows her to hold these feelings for her clients through collaboration, non-judgment, and a high degree of empathy. Her wellness-centered approach to therapy allows Michaela to develop a comprehensive understanding of how each dimension of a client's life contributes to their suffering, as well as how to facilitate long-lasting change and wholesome growth.
Michaela takes an integrative approach to therapy with an emphasis on wellness, or holism, allowing her to meet each client’s distinct needs and expectations. She believes that each dimension of a person’s life plays a specific role in the journey to mental health, and she prioritizes a mindfulness-based understanding of how the mental, physical, and social spheres work in conjunction to contribute to a client's well-being. Michaela utilizes psychodynamic therapy to help clients navigate and understand the past, CBT to cope with symptoms and modify thoughts/behaviors in the present, and narrative therapy to develop identity and construct a positive future.
Michaela sees each client as uniquely powerful and dynamic and is dedicated to helping them see this themselves. She supplements her approach with positive psychology to promote empowerment and understanding of how to use specific skills and abilities to overcome current symptoms, and to establish the confidence to take on hardships that the future may hold.
Michaela is experienced in working with individuals with PTSD, depression, anxiety, disordered eating, chronic stress, and intimacy issues.