Dr. Michelle Wierson
Michelle Harris Wierson, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist who has spent the last 30 years helping people transform their lives. Using a multi-faceted approach, therapy is tailored to the needs of the person or family, in order to bring the most meaningful and lasting change. Dr. Wierson offers support, compassion, practical techniques, and persistence in her work – along with a good dose of creativity and life wisdom. She specializes in therapy with teens and young adults aged 12-25, the parenting of young children, and couples and family therapy. For adults with more chronic mental illness, or struggling with childhood trauma, she pairs heartfelt empathy with new skill development. As David Richo says, “our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.”
In life, there are times when we feel strong, and other times when we feel broken. Psychotherapy is an interesting process, because the point of entry can happen at either time and be successful. No matter what, it takes courage to face difficult questions about yourself, your partner, your family. Dr. Wierson’s goal is to engender trust and partner with you to answer those questions and then find solutions. She is open, warm, and collaborative, and ready to help you make a difference in your own life. Dr. Wierson also is deeply committed to being an ally for people of color and the LGBTQ community and welcomes cross-cultural connections.
Dr. Wierson earned her undergraduate degree at Furman University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Georgia. She interned at the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Pomona College, where she earned the Wig Meritorious Teaching Award and was part of the Women’s Studies Program. She has written over 30 peer-reviewed publications. She won the Thomas Leahy Award for Creative Achievement at the Social Security Administration, where she worked evaluating disability claims for over 10 years. Dr. Wierson has worked in private practice, hospitals, government agencies, juvenile detention centers, mental health community centers, and educational settings across the last three decades.
Areas of expertise, but not limited to:
- Child/Adolescent Treatment
- Family Therapy
- Chronic Medical Illness
- Chronic Mental Illness
- Parenting Issues
- Adoption
- Women’s Issues
- Couples Therapy
- Eating Disorders
- Attention Deficit Disorders
Populations Served:
- Children
- Adolescents
- Adults