Michele "Shelly" Virva

Michele "Shelly" Virva is a licensed clinical social worker with 20 years of professional experience in Michigan. She centers her work on trauma-focused therapy while also using client-centered, cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing approaches. Shelly believes people know their own stories and brings respect and steady support to each conversation.

She helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and the effects of trauma and abuse. She also supports those facing substance use challenges and major life changes. Sessions focus on practical steps people can take, and on building strengths they already have.

Shelly uses short, clear interventions when helpful. She practices client-centered work that follows the person’s pace and priorities. Cognitive behavioral techniques are used to notice and shift unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns.

Mindfulness exercises are offered to increase present-moment awareness and reduce overwhelm. Motivational interviewing helps people sort through mixed feelings about change and find internal reasons to move forward.

Her additional focus areas include attachment concerns, caregiver stress, chronic pain and illness, communication problems, workplace issues, pregnancy and childbirth matters, and issues tied to divorce and separation. People receive straightforward care and concrete tools they can try between sessions.

Shelly emphasizes collaboration and respects each person’s goals. She aims to make therapy a practical part of everyday life, with steps that feel doable and aimed at real change.

How Trauma-Focused and Client-Centered Work Translate Online

Trauma-focused therapy helps people process traumatic experiences in small, manageable steps and reduce their impact on daily life. It focuses on understanding reactions to trauma and finding ways to cope and regain a sense of safety and control.

Client-centered therapy centers the person’s goals and pace, letting the individual lead sessions while the therapist listens and reflects. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions and offers practical exercises to change patterns that cause distress.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work with the person to decide which combination of methods fits best based on needs, goals, and preferences. That collaboration helps shape session focus and homework between meetings.

Confirm which session formats are offered before booking because the biography does not list specific options. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules, shorten travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people practice skills in real-life settings and bring examples or small tasks from daily life into sessions to make change more practical.