Michele Topel, LPC, LCPC

(she/her)

EMDR Certified Therapist

EMDR Consultant-in-Training

About Me

I am an integrative EMDR therapist, with training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) as well as a longtime mindfulness meditation practitioner and teacher. These mindfulness-based approaches offer transformational healing for complex trauma, dissociation, depression, anxiety, and addictive and compulsive behaviors. My typical client has often experienced talk therapy with limited effects, and is ready for the kind of therapy that can elicit profound change. My interest in these approaches is not just theoretical, it's based on personal experience of recovering from trauma and addiction. This experience, as well as years of professional training with leaders in the mental health field, show that there is a way out of emotional suffering. It's possible to live fully in the present moment, with a sense of joy, freedom, and authenticity.

Education & Experience

Mental health counseling is a second career, after spending 20 years as a business person and real estate entrepreneur. Prior to working in private practice as a trauma therapist, I facilitated groups in intensive outpatient addiction recovery clinics, and provided trauma informed behavioral health services at Whitman-Walker Health, a community health center originally founded to serve the LGBTQI population in Washington DC. Being a longtime practitioner and teacher of insight meditation has greatly influenced my clinical approach. My training includes working with prominent teachers in the US and Asia, including Tara Brach, and Jack Kornfield, as well as a year-long sabbatical studying and practicing with monastics in Thailand in 2019.

Professional & Volunteer Affiliations

Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Certified Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapist

Specialty Area

  • Abuse/Neglect
  • Addictions
  • Alcohol/Substance Abuse
  • Attachment Disorders
  • Dissociative Disorders
  • Grief/Loss/Mourning
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Spirituality
  • Stress Management
  • Traumatic Incident

Population Served

  • Adults
  • First Responders
  • LGBTQ+
  • Seniors

Language

  • English

Insurance

  • Sliding Scale