Welcome to Vesta Counseling! The Roman goddess Vesta represented the hearth fire, home, and family.
During this period, the hearth was the center of every home. This vital fire provided warmth and light and became associated with the unique spirit of the family who gathered around it. When people left their home, they carried part of the hearth fire with them, hoping to keep its comforts close.
Today, I understand that it can often be difficult to feel connected to what brings you a profound and lasting sense of peace. As we experience stressful life transitions, try to heal from pain and loss, and experience everyday challenges, our inner light can feel dim. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 12 years of experience, I work alongside you and/or your family to help you re-connect you to whatever keeps your fire burning.
It is possible to start feeling better today. With the help of professional therapy, you can receive support, accountability, and specific tools to navigate difficult situations. I offer telehealth appointments across Arizona and in-person therapy in Tempe conveniently located close to Mesa, Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert, Scottsdale, and Ahwatukee.
How I Can Help
Family Therapy
Helping to improve communication and resolve conflict for families of any makeup and across the lifespan, including couple’s therapy.
EMDR Therapy
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is an evidence based treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Individual Therapy
Providing support for ages 12 and up with a variety of presenting issues including anxiety, life transitions, grief & loss, stress, and depression.
“I want to inspire you to see that you can go far beyond where you are right now.”
– Virginia Satir, psychotherapist, the "Mother of Family Therapy.”
Michaela has been featured in:
“EMDR aims to focus on the memory itself, not removing it, but changing the way it is stored in the brain and therefore, reducing the vividness of the traumatic memories. The idea here is not to clear out the memory, but the trauma response associated with that memory, according to Decker.” Read more
“A breakup is a classic example of what we call an ambiguous loss, which is where the grief of the loss of a relationship is often complicated by a lack of closure.” Michaela Decker, a licensed marriage and family therapist tells SELF.” Read more
“Resentment often goes hand-in-hand with feeling as if you are not being heard. This can result in arguments becoming more frequent and intense,” says Decker. “These types of arguments, built up from resentment, can include threats to the relationship which can have devastating repercussions.” Read more