Michelle Dubiel-Vasquez
M.S.W., R.S.W
Founder + Therapist
If you’ve found yourself here, you may be wondering a little bit about who I am and what I can offer you.
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I’m a Registered Social Worker (#13286) based in Calgary, Alberta, originally born in Toronto and raised in Windsor, Ontario. I completed both my Bachelor and Master degrees in Social Work, with specialized training in the treatment of eating disorders. I moved to Calgary post-grad to continue building a career I genuinely love.
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With over 12 years of experience in mental health, I’ve supported adults, adolescents, and families extensively in intensive healthcare and school settings. My therapy style is warm, curious, and very human. I believe therapy works best when you can show up exactly as you are — messy thoughts, nervous laughter, tears, sarcasm and all. The stories shared in my office often hold pain, grief, and loss, but they also reveal resilience, growth, and hope. At the core of my work is a belief I stand by: healing is possible, and you don’t have to do it alone. My role is to walk alongside you as you work toward a life that feels more aligned, grounded, and yours.
In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my son and taking our mini Australian Shepherd, Bowie, for walks. I love camping, copious cups of tea, music festivals and concerts, and yoga. I’m a summer gal at heart, but I’ve grown to truly appreciate the beauty of winter in the Rockies.
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hello,
"You cannot change the past, but you can rewrite your history."
The work experience, but make it human:
My work has always lived in the complicated stuff—concurrent mental health concerns, layered family dynamics, and situations that don’t come with easy answers or fit neatly into boxes. Those experiences have shaped how I show up as a therapist today: grounded, compassionate, and comfortable sitting with the hard stuff. That experience didn’t happen in one place—it was built across a range of settings where I supported individuals and families through real, messy, meaningful work, including:
Wood's Homes - Phoenix Program
Strathmore Domestic Violence Shelter
Okotoks Composite High School - Family School Liaison Counsellor
Alberta Health Services - Family Counsellor with Red Cross in High River
Alberta Health Services - Therapist at Foothills Concurrent Substance Use Program
Alberta Health Services - Therapist at Youth Substance Use and Mental Health Program
How I work:
Individual Therapy
in downtown Calgary & virtually across Alberta
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There's not one "right" way to do therapy. Human are complex, life is messy, and healing rarely follows a straight line. I believe therapy should be flexible, collaborative, and tailored to you - not a rigid process you're expected to fit into.
My work is grounded in evidence-based talk therapy approaches, including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS). These frameworks support emotional regulation, insight, and meaningful, values-based change.
I also have a strong interest in trauma-specific therapies including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy), which can be helpful when past experiences continue to impact the present.
In addition, I have completed training in Trauma Sensitive Yoga Therapy and Yin Yoga Training, which has shaped my focus on somatic integration. Therapy is about more than just thoughts — it’s about how experiences live in the body. I integrate body awareness, emotional processing, and reflective conversation in a way that feels sage and grounded.
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to fail, to feel, to heal. over and over again.
How I work with Young People and Families
This is a space where young people and families can show up exactly as they are — questions, uncertainty, and the hard-to-say stuff included. Family life is layered and complicated, and my role is to help slow things down enough to make sense of what’s happening beneath the surface.
Together, we look at relationship dynamics with care and curiosity, noticing what needs more warmth, where clearer boundaries might help, and what’s quietly asking for change. The work is both gentle and practical, focused on creating clarity, strengthening communication, and helping everyone feel more understood.
I specialize in supporting families navigating:
challenging behaviours
teen substance use
teen anxiety and emotional regulation
teen relationships
suicidal ideation and self-harm
stress and general mental health concerns
eating disorders and body image
trauma
Parent sessions offer a place to pause and breathe amid the constant demands of raising a child. We look beyond behaviours to understand what your child may be communicating — and what you, as a parent, may be carrying too. These conversations are grounding and supportive, helping you feel more resourced, more confident, and more intentional in how you show up.
I’m trained in Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) and Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), two evidence-based approaches that help families move out of stuck patterns and into connection. Together, we build practical skills, deepen emotional understanding, and create new ways of relating that support lasting change.
