Michelle Franklin, PhD

Welcome to our psychotherapy and counseling practice, where we have been serving the Santa Cruz and the greater San Francisco Bay Area for the past thirty years. Our founder, Dr. Michelle Franklin, is a highly experienced and dedicated clinical psychologist who has developed a comprehensive toolbox of treatment options that embraces both traditional and alternative methodologies. This allows her to customize treatment to each client's specific needs, ensuring that it is both effective and cost-efficient.

At our practice, we believe in empowering our clients to attain their personal life goals, achieve a greater sense of well-being, enjoy more loving relationships, and live fuller, more rewarding lives. We understand that many of our clients come to us during difficult times, and we are committed to helping them deal with their current crises by developing solutions to resolve them.

Services Offered

We offer a wide range of services to meet the diverse needs of our clients. These services include:

• Individual Psychotherapy: We offer both short-term and in-depth therapy to help clients deal with an immediate issue such as divorce, problems with children and adolescents, death, substance abuse, and more. Our in-depth therapy also helps clients achieve long-term personal growth, resulting in greater happiness and more satisfying relationships.
• Couples Counseling: Our couples counseling helps couples understand the dynamics of their relationship, promotes better understanding of each other's differences, and improves effective communication. The results are a more loving, accepting, and intimate relationship.
• Relationship Counseling: We teach specific tools to improve relationship dynamics between parents and children, blended families, co-workers, and peers.
• Group Therapy: We provide a very cost-effective way for mature clients to pursue continued personal growth by practicing boundaries, self-care, constructive confrontation, and advanced relationship skills in a safe environment.
• Enneagram Typing: This greatly assists clients in understanding their own personality type and that of important people in their lives. This knowledge provides insights into understanding strengths, challenges, and motivations in themselves and others.
• Divorce Mediation: Our participation can help moderate the intense emotions of divorce, allowing the couple to focus on the practical aspects of the dissolution in a fair and cost-minimizing way.
• Collaborative Divorce: This is less traumatic and costly than litigation. Each spouse's attorney, the psychologist, and other professionals (e.g. accountant, parenting specialist) are committed to fairly representing both clients. Dr. Franklin is a member of the Collaborative And Mediation Professionals (C.A.M.P) of Santa Cruz.
• Co-Parenting Mediation: This is a child-focused process that helps divorcing parents agree upon and document how their children will be raised in separate households.
• Trauma Recovery: Dr. Franklin utilizes EMDR, a short-term therapeutic technique, to treat Post-Traumatic Stress in her clients.

Our Approach

At our practice, we are committed to providing our clients with a safe, non-judgmental space where they can explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. We believe that every person has the capacity for growth and change, and we are dedicated to helping our clients discover their inner strength and resilience.

Our approach is collaborative and client-centered, meaning that we work closely with our clients to develop a treatment plan that meets their unique needs and goals. We believe that the therapeutic relationship is a powerful tool for healing and growth, and we strive to create a warm, supportive, and empathetic environment where our clients feel heard, understood, and respected.

Our Founder

Dr. Michelle Franklin is a licensed clinical psychologist with over thirty years of experience providing psychotherapy and counseling services to individuals, couples, and families. She is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest research and best practices in the field of psychology, and she is dedicated to providing high-quality, evidence-based care to her clients.

Dr. Franklin has a deep understanding of the challenges and struggles that her clients face, and she is passionate about helping them overcome these challenges and achieve their goals. She takes a holistic approach to therapy, considering the whole person in the context of their relationships, environment, and life experiences.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a compassionate, experienced, and dedicated psychologist in the Santa Cruz or greater San Francisco Bay Area, we invite you to contact us to learn more about our services. We are committed to helping our clients live fuller, more rewarding lives, and we would be honored to be a part of your journey.