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Michele Brennan
About
I’m a clinical psychologist licensed in New Jersey and have PSYPACT authority to provide telehealth services in 42 states and jurisdictions. I am deeply committed to helping adults navigate stress, life transitions, and the “quiet” struggles that don’t always show on the outside. I’m especially drawn to working with busy professionals, adults and neurodivergent adults who are trying to balance high expectations with real human limits.
Over the past ten years, I have specialized in adult psychological assessments. This has reinforced my belief that when people finally have language and clarity for what they’ve been experiencing, it can be profoundly impactful to their daily lives. My background includes a Psy.D. in clinical psychology and more than a decade of teaching abnormal psychology at the community college level, which keeps me grounded in both the science of mental health and the realities of everyday
At the core, what motivates me as a provider is helping people feel less alone with their symptoms and stories and creating a space where it’s safe to be honest, curious, and hopeful about change. When I am not working, I love spending time traveling, relaxing on a beach and practicing yoga.
I chose to specialize in working with autistic and other neurodivergent adults to help those who felt like they had been misunderstood or missed by systems that were supposed to help them. They were bright, insightful, and often deeply self-aware, but had spent much of their lives masking, camouflaging, or blaming themselves for struggles that were actually rooted in differences in how their brains process the world. As a mother, I witnessed this in my own child, as they navigated academic and social expectations that could often be overwhelming. In my clinical work and assessment practice, I’ve seen how transformative it can be when someone finally hears, “There’s nothing wrong with you for being different—and there’s a way to understand and support how your mind works.” I’m motivated by the chance to offer a space where autistic and neurodivergent clients don’t have to justify their needs, where sensory and social differences are taken seriously, and where we can collaborate on strategies that honor both their strengths and their limits.
I bring an affirming, strength-based approach to my work by starting with who you are—not with what’s “wrong” or what needs to be fixed. I pay close attention to your values, interests, and sensory and social preferences, and we use those as building blocks for change rather than trying to push you into a mold that doesn’t fit.
My role is to help you reckon honestly with the realities of your life—your history, your nervous system, your responsibilities—while also highlighting the problem-solving, insight, creativity, and resilience you already show in your day-to-day world. Together, we can develop goals that focus on what’s working, what’s meaningful, and what feels sustainable, so that any strategies we develop are rooted in compassion and self-respect rather than self-criticism.
