Michelle Clough

Therapeutic Specialties

Michelle provides a relational, trauma-informed approach to healing, specializing in OCD, complex trauma, and emotional dysregulation.

• •OCD & Habit Support:
  • •OCD & OC-Related Disorders: Addressing intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.
  • •Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors: Targeted support for Skin-picking and Hair-pulling (Trichotillomania).
  • •Tics & Tourette's: Specialized interventions for motor and vocal tics.
• •Neuro-Affirming & Executive Care:
  • •Autism & ADHD: Navigating the unique strengths and challenges of neurodivergence.
  • •Perfectionism & Transitions: Managing life shifts, "all-or-nothing" thinking, and performance anxiety.
• •Healing from Trauma & Emotional Dysregulation:
  • •Complex & Developmental Trauma: Safe, trauma-informed processing and nervous system regulation.
  • •Self-Harm & High-Acuity Care: Building safer coping strategies and emotional awareness.
  • •Anxiety & Depression: Strategies to understand and manage chronic worry and low mood.
• •Youth, Parenting & Family Dynamics:
  • •Child & At-Risk Youth Support: Developmentally appropriate care for emotional distress and behavioral concerns.
  • •Parenting & Family Systems: Strengthening structure, communication, and connection within the home.
• •Relational & Attachment Health:
  • •Couples & Relationship Issues: Improving communication, rebuilding trust, and increasing emotional safety.
  • •Attachment Patterns: Exploring underlying dynamics that impact closeness and conflict.

Clinical Approach & Modalities

Michelle integrates gold-standard behavioral tools with systemic, play-based, and trauma-informed lenses, ensuring a collaborative and deeply connective therapeutic relationship:

• •Targeted Behavioral Mastery:
  • •Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD.
  • •Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT) to resolve obsessive doubt.
  • •Habit Reversal Training (HRT) for tics and body-focused behaviors.
• •Trauma-Informed & Neurobiological Care:
  • •Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) to safely process and reframe traumatic experiences.
  • •Nervous System Stabilization: Neurobiologically-informed, "bottom-up" regulation techniques.
• •Acceptance & Emotional Regulation:
  • •Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to build psychological flexibility and values-driven living.
  • •Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for skills in distress tolerance and emotional balance.
  • •Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to target unhelpful thought patterns.
• •Relational, Systemic & Play-Based Growth:
  • •Play Therapy: Utilizing child-centered, developmental interventions for emotional expression.
  • •Family Systems & Attachment-Based Approaches to improve relational patterns.
  • •Gottman-Informed Couples Work to strengthen connection and respect.

Education

• •Master of Social Work - Brigham Young University
• •Bachelor of Science - Marriage & Family Studies - Brigham Young University-Idaho

Bio

I believe people are more than the hardest things they have experienced, and I strive to create a space where clients feel seen, respected, and supported. When working with children, I incorporate play therapy to help them express and process emotions in ways that feel natural and developmentally appropriate.

My work is rooted in a person-in-environment perspective, recognizing the powerful role that relationships, family systems, culture, and life experiences play in shaping each individual's story. I enjoy helping clients build emotional awareness, develop practical coping tools, and move toward a life that feels more aligned with their values.

I have over two decades of experience working with diverse populations, including children, at-risk youth, individuals impacted by trauma, and families navigating complex relational dynamics. I am also certified in trauma management, which shapes my commitment to providing care that is both compassionate and grounded in safety and understanding.

My background across education, social services, and clinical settings has given me a deep appreciation for the resilience people carry—even in the face of significant adversity. My goal is to help clients access that resilience, build confidence, and create meaningful, lasting change.