Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Sgarlato.
Michelle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always had a passion for helping others. I originally wanted to go to school and become a psychologist. About 1 month before I moved and went off to college, I was talking to my Aunt about my plans. She is a Social Worker in N.Y. It didn’t take long for her to persuade me to switch my major at the last minute to Social Work. In this field, I can help people in many ways, therapy being just one part of that. The Social Work perspective is holistic and looks at the client as a person, not a diagnosis or a problem to be fixed. I began my career as the director of a day program for adults with mental illness while conducting individual therapy for clients of all populations and concerns. I have moved into private practice now to continue my passion for helping others through therapy. My ultimate goal was to be able to do what I love and still maintain a healthy work-life balance.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have been very fortunate on my journey thus far. Going through college certainly was not the easiest still. I had to work full-time, usually 60+ hours a week, while still maintaining a minimum of a 3.5 GPA as per my program requirements. This meant, I had to make some sacrifices, most of those being relationships and friendships and material possessions. Most of my time was spent at work, in class, studying or sleeping. Trying to manage my stress proved to be my most difficult struggle. I being to experience panic attacks for about a year. I didn’t know what they were until I reached a point in my education where we began to study anxiety. Thankfully the panic attacks stopped after graduation but then a mild depression set in for about a year as well. This is called graduation depression. These two experiences have led me to my focus of life transitions. It can be difficult to navigate those times. I was fortunate to have an education in this area and learned a lot about myself during those times. I want to use my experience to help others move forward and live the best life they can.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with MLS Counseling – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My practice focuses on helping clients live their best life. We go through many life transitions, whether that be divorce, break-ups, moving, college or starting a family. Sometimes, those transitions bring on new challenges like anxiety or depression, sometimes you feel like you’ve lost yourself in the process of all the changes. My practice focuses on helping clients find themselves, love themselves and move forward. I am an EMDR therapist, which is a type of therapy that can help people who’ve been through traumatic events. But, it’s not just used for trauma, it also has wonderful results with self-esteem. I use EMDR to help those who have experienced trauma but also to help others’ raise their self-esteem and become more self-compassionate.
If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
In all honesty, nothing. The life I have built is everything I’d imagined it’d be and while I still have goals to reach, I have learned to enjoy my life as it is. Mindfulness is a wonderful thing. I struggled for a few years to make it here but if I had changed anything then, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I have learned to be grateful for my bad days because they remind me of how good the good days feel.
Contact Info:
- Address: 7777 Glades Road suite 205 Boca Raton, FL 33434
- Website: mlscounseling.com
- Phone: 561-376-1184
- Email: [email protected]
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