Community Highlights: Meet Michelle Fagan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Fagan.

Hi Michelle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Since the age of 13 when I walked into my Introduction to Psychology course, I have known I wanted to be a therapist. Looking back, I recognize now that in some ways, I played this role in my family for most of my life. Coming from a family of all engineers (yes, siblings included), emotional expression was not always something I saw modeled healthily. Instead, I became the emotional container for my family members, developing the ability to empathize and care for the people around me.

I followed my passion for psychology through undergraduate and graduate school and found myself working for community mental health centers and non-profit organizations after I received my degrees. While my passion to serve others never waned, I found myself experiencing burnout due to high caseloads and lack of support. In October 2020, at the height of COVID, I decided to open my private practice.

Since then, I have had the privilege of determining exactly how I want to show up in the community and provide services that feel energizing and exciting instead of draining and depleting. Starting my own business has allowed me to be creative and grow professionally in ways I wasn’t able to when working for others. Namely, I have been stepping into copywriting and content creation, which has been super exciting. I feel as energized as ever and look forward to what the future holds for me!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While some of my strongest qualities came from managing my family dynamics, some of my most difficult struggles have developed from them as well. I have experienced anxiety and depression for as long as I can remember. While I have always had to manage my mental health, most recently I was forced to pause my life and career to focus on them. As I reached the pinnacle of success in my business, I simultaneously began to struggle personally.

Panic attacks became a daily occurrence and I ultimately made the heart-wrenching decision to pause my services to protect both myself and my clients. It felt like everything I had worked decades to build came crumbling down around me in a matter of weeks. After taking a prolonged step away to focus solely on my mental health, I started rebuilding my business about 6 months ago. In many ways, I am rebuilding my practice from scratch.

Recently, I have come to a place of gratitude though. I have learned so much about myself and what I need to maintain a healthy life. This directly translates to the services I provide to my clients as well. More often than not, I resonate with my clients deeply in some way, and because of that, I take great pride in showing up authentically while also ensuring I “practice what I preach.” I have been given the unique opportunity to start from a clean slate and restructure my life in a way that aligns with my values and passions and I intend on taking full advantage of that.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Michelle Fagan LLC?
Through my business, I provide holistic and alternative therapy and coaching services to those who may feel stuck or out of place in their life and want to tap into their power and creativity to grow into the most authentic and empowered version of themselves. I have a deep passion for working with individuals who have always felt misunderstood or different from those around them. Perhaps they know they are destined for great things but just feel like they can’t get out of their way.

My work with clients goes beyond traditional talk therapy. My approach is uniquely tailored through years of professional and personal development, incorporating what has been most effective along this journey including Internal Family Systems, somatic-based interventions, and attachment theory all while using an empowerment-based approach. I am most proud of my dedication to showing up human to human with my clients and creating powerful change through the healing abilities of a safe and therapeutic relationship.

I have also recently stepped into the world of business development and copywriting by providing services to small businesses and non-profit organizations via website optimization, newsletters, and more. I have always enjoyed writing and I am super excited to help those in the healing space effectively share their work and services with their communities.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
While completing my undergraduate education at St. Joseph’s University, I was part of a sexual assault prevention program. The head of the program, Dr. Raquel Bergen, an all-around badass advocate for sexual assault education and prevention, really modeled what strong and successful female leadership looks like. Her knowledge, passion, and success in the field showed me that there is no limit to what females in particular can achieve.

My father has always supported me in my passions. While he may not fully get it, he has never once dissuaded me from pursuing what makes me come alive. Lastly, my friend’s and partners’ support throughout my business journey has been supremely helpful. Rebuilding my practice would have been close to impossible if I didn’t have encouragement and reassurance from them and for that. I am incredibly grateful.

Pricing:

• Individual Therapy-$160
• Copywriting/Business Development-Dependent on services
• Coaching-Dependent on services

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michellefaganllc.com
• Instagram: @michellefaganlpc