Michelle C. Brooten-Brooks, LMFT

  Health & Medical Journalist
  Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

 Despite the fact my refined Southern Mama taught me as a curious child in     the grocery store checkout line, it’s never polite to ask, “How much do you       weigh?” From 2004 to 2022, I asked exactly that to over 900 Georgians who   shared their inspiring stories in my weekly weight-loss column, Success Story, featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Life/Health section. (https://www.ajc.com/life/weight-loss-success-stories/)

Somewhere between my childhood, J-school, where I majored in journalism & communications, and 25-plus years as a reporter, gathering stories became my passion and my path. A path once forged through my favorite bedtime stall tactic: “Tell us a story, Daddy!”  And off we’d go, my brother and I, adventuring through the wild frontier of Daddy’s rural Northern Idaho childhood – from skipping rocks at the “crick,” to winter blizzards and getting “snowed-in,” the unimaginable midnight treks to the outhouse, and springtime blossoms with hide-and-seek through the mountainside orchard – we were captivated. 

In 2020, after many clinical hours, I became a fully licensed marriage and family therapist. When I’m not reporting stories as a journalist, or creating websites to share stories, knowledge, and information online, I’m holding a sacred space, listening to untold and deeply personal stories. After several years working in community mental health working with diverse populations ages 4 through 70, in 2022, I opened my telehealth-only private practice: Relationship Therapy.us (relationshiptherapy.us). Today, I work with adults, age 18+,  offering individual therapy, couples therapy, and relationship therapy. Relationships are our greatest challenge as humans, and they are the source of our greatest growth.

Where there’s a person, there’s always a unique story of lived experience. Within every story of struggle, strength is found. When shared, our stories can inform, empower, and enlighten us. Gathering stories remains my passion — especially in the checkout line, sorry not sorry, Mama.

Publications:

My articles have appeared in the following publications:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Austin American-Statesman
The Chicago Tribune
The Dayton Daily News
 The Daily Sentinel, Nacogdoches, Texas
The Journal-News, Dayton, Ohio
The Oklahoma City Journal-Record
Orange & Blue Magazine
Knight-Ridder /Tribune Business News
The Palm Beach Post
The Portland Oregonian
The Tennessean
The Adel News-Tribune
The Valdosta Daily Times
VerywellHealth.com

Professional Association Memberships:

• American Medical Writers Association
• Association of Health Care Journalists
• The Society of Professional Journalists
• The Atlanta Press Club
• American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy