Clinician Spotlight: Dr. Michele Bechor
An interest in psychology started early for Happier Living psychologist Michele Bechor. Her favorite class in high school was AP Psychology.
“To me, helping youth and their parents as well as adult patients, use new skills to become more resilient is a privilege,” she says. “Over time, I’ve learned that placing an emphasis on behavior and exposures as a psychologist is an optimal way to help clients eventually feel more free and in control.”
Dr. Bechor has deep experience in working with children, adolescents and adults with primary anxiety disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Autism, Tourette Syndrome and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). One of her favorite areas of expertise is parent training.
“My goal is to collaborate with patients to increase their confidence in their ability to change and to enhance their hope that they can become their most authentic selves,” she says.
Working at Happier Living allows her to feel like she is making a difference in her clients’ lives on a daily basis. “I enjoy the freedom of carrying out treatments in my original approach, being able to utilize the full range of my clinical skills to personalize care,” she says. “I also enjoy seeing patients in over 40 states across the nation. It is freeing to exercise my autonomy as a clinician to change treatment as clients need, and it is a privilege to learn how clients across the country benefit from the approaches I have learned.”
Dr. Bechor doesn’t want to see her clients’ growth or learning stop just because the session does. After almost every appointment, she emails a link, handout or between-session task to help her clients incorporate new skills to use outside of therapy.
“I am the coach and ultimate champion of my patient’s functioning, even if it means I coach my client to place less emphasis on comfort. I want my patients to be resilient and free, and I believe they feel most connected to me when I demonstrate my passion for them becoming more like their ideal selves,” she says.
When she isn’t working, Dr. Bechor enjoys spending time with her loved ones, which makes her super happy. “My favorite things to do with friends and family is to travel, go to concerts, games and comedy shows, and go hiking and kayaking,” she says. “As a native Floridian, connecting with the mountains is rare for me but highly prioritized. I especially like taking hiking trips each year in the fall.”
She is also an avid lover of flowers and puzzles. “In fact, most of my office shelves have LEGO flower bouquets, and I almost always have fresh flowers in my home,” she says. “For fun, I take flower arranging classes, and my family, friends and I even did one for my bridal shower.”
