Michelle Harwell, Founder

Michelle Harwell, PsyD, LMFT #50732 is a training and supervising analyst, respected instructor, and practicing clinician with specialization in trauma, development, and contemporary relational psychoanalysis. For over a decade Dr. Harwell has trained and supervised clinicians through a unique integration of contemporary psychoanalytic principles and the humanities, believing that our reverence for theory must live alongside a deep humility and respect for the complexity of the human story. She is the author of numerous papers and her writing interests are centered on the interior process of the analyst. She is noted for her expertise in areas of early-life and relational trauma, adoption, and neuroscience, and her ability to communicate complex topics with clarity and humor.

She is a certified yoga instructor and seeks to help her clients better understand how the body is often the first speaker to life's experiences: joy, stress, or even trauma. Dr. Harwell maintains a clinical practice where she works extensively with adults, children, families, and couples.

Michelle completed her doctorate in Psychoanalysis from The Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles. She received her BA in English Literature from University of Oklahoma, MA in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from the Fuller Graduate School of Psychology.

Learn more about Michelle’s story here.