Michelle Kaczynski, Licensed Psychologist-Master

Disclosure document

a lot of things have happened this year,

and you have had to bear more

than you ever thought you would,

but I just hope you know,

through the difficult and the good,

you have also been brave,

in a beautiful, honest way,

and no matter the progress you feel

that you have not made,

you are still growing here.

• Morgan Harper Nichols

Michelle (she/her/hers) joined the counseling team at Middlebury College in 2019.   

Michelle moved to Vermont to pursue her education at Saint Michael’s College and received her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology in 2014.  She has years of experience working at community mental health agencies throughout Vermont where she focused her efforts on improving access to mental health care in each of the communities she served.  She has served on various boards across the state including the Children and Family Council for Prevention Programs (CFCPP) and the Vermont Coalition for Runaway and Homeless Youth Program (VCRHYP). She is thrilled to be at Middlebury College where she hopes to hold space for students to navigate their experiences on campus and prepare for their transition into adulthood.

At Middlebury College Counseling, Michelle is the Associate Director of Counseling with a focus on outreach and group psychotherapy development.  Michelle started her career at Middlebury as a Staff Counselor and while she continues to offer individual counseling sessions, she provides leadership and guidance in the formulation and implementation of practices associated with community-based outreach supports and group psychotherapy offerings.  The hope of this work is for students to engage with and access counseling resources in forward-facing ways outside of the traditional 1:1 psychotherapy session format.

Michelle has an extensive background in dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).  Michelle is an approved EMDR trained clinician through the EMDR International Association. She brings a person-centered approach to her sessions.  She draws from feminist-oriented frameworks.  In practice, she hopes to provide space for students to join in a therapeutic alliance where they feel heard, develop their voice, identify and practice coping skills, honor self-worth, and heal.  She believes that we show up each day doing our best in what this moment has to offer while also acknowledging we always have potential to grow.   She has experience and comfort in these various areas (but not limited to):  sexual trauma, anxiety, depression, suicidality, self-harming, sex, sexuality, and gender-affirmative care, and exploring family impact and stressors.

Michelle feels at home in Vermont and all the magic it has to offer.  She enjoys filling her free time with drinking coffee, yoga, biking, hiking, reading, playing board games, and baking.