hi! I’m Michael
I am currently completing my Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. As a clinical intern at Agave Studio in Chicago, I am working toward licensure in both Illinois and Hawaiʻi—two places I call home.
Beyond the clinical space, my heart for mentorship has been rooted in a decade-long commitment to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. I believe we are built for belonging (to one’s self, others, and the our community), and my work is fueled by the belief that no one should have to navigate their darkest chapters alone.
Random facts: I have lived in Prague for 20 years, I am the youngest of 5 children, I like fall and spring better than winter and summer, I am all about the concepts of hygge and teolaí and lagom (look these up!), I love to have deep conversations and eat good food with my favorite people, I love long walks in pretty places, I am 4w5 on the enneagram and an INFJ, and I absolutely love my work.
My approach
Life is a brief, complicated, and unrepeatable moment. Perhaps lately, you’ve felt the gap between the You before and the You after a significant loss, transition, or realization. You might find yourself performing rather than connecting, or feeling a sense of unworthiness that keeps you trapped in the past. If you feel dazed by the shocks of life—what we call trauma—know that your response is a normal reaction to an overwhelming world.
I believe healing isn't about changing who you are; it’s about changing how you feel about who you are. I de-prioritize labels and textbook definitions to center your lived experience. In our work, you are the expert of your own life; I am the passenger and the witness, holding an expansive, non-judgmental space where every part of you—the glorious, the petty, the fearful, and the divine—is invited to have a seat.
My approach is deeply relational and psychodynamic, rooted in the belief that what was wounded in relationship must be healed in relationship.
I am currently a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology student at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. I see clients in the Chicago area under the clinical supervision of Rachel Smith, Psy.D. I offer a limited caseload to ensure I can provide a deep, attentive presence to our work together.
About Agave Studio
As a clinician-in-training at Agave Studio, my work is guided by an interdisciplinary and holistic model of wellness. This framework ensures our time together is:
Interdisciplinary: Drawing on both psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral approaches to honor the complexity of your experience.
Trauma-Informed: Recognizing that the "shocks" of life require a space that knows how to hold and treat acute and complex trauma.
Spiritually Minded: Honoring your faith, beliefs, and questioning as a vital part of your identity and flourishing.
Embodied: Integrating the body as your greatest tool for regulation and wholeness.