April Mendyka, LPC
Real change begins when you understand what's underneath.
Licensed Therapist in Michigan offering online therapy in Michigan and Georgia
If you've landed here, chances are you've been carrying a lot—for a long time.
You don’t have to figure this out by yourself anymore.
I'm here to help you create the kind of change that lasts.
Because when you understand why you've been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected, lasting change becomes possible.
My Style
I don't believe therapy should feel like someone quietly nodding while you talk.
Sessions with me are thoughtful, grounded, and collaborative. I'm actively engaged, reflecting back what I'm hearing, asking questions, and helping you connect the dots between your thoughts, emotions, and experiences.
Many clients tell me they leave sessions with a greater sense of clarity and direction. Together, we'll make sense of experiences that have felt confusing, recognize patterns you may not have noticed, and create the kind of insight that leads to lasting change.
My style is warm, curious, and down-to-earth. I'll challenge you when it's helpful, support you when it's needed, and always move at a pace that feels safe enough to do meaningful work.
I work best with clients who are:
✓ Insightful and reflective, but still feeling stuck or overwhelmed
✓ Wanting to get to the why beneath their symptoms, not just manage them
✓ Open to being gently challenged and exploring patterns over time
✓ Looking for therapy that feels engaged, thoughtful, and human
✓ Ready to invest in deeper, meaningful work
Why this work is different
Growing up, I was deeply curious about why people think, feel, and behave the way they do, especially when their reactions didn’t seem to make sense on the surface. As a child and young adult, my own emotional struggles were often hidden behind achievement, perfectionism, and doing “all the right things.” I learned firsthand how easy it is for pain to go unseen, even by ourselves.
That lived experience shapes how I work today. I know that anxiety, self-criticism, people-pleasing, and emotional overwhelm don’t come out of nowhere. They’re often rooted in early experiences, unspoken rules, and the ways we learned to cope the best way we knew how at the time. My goal isn’t to pathologize or “fix” you, but to help you understand your patterns with compassion and clarity so real change can happen.
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Becoming a mom deepened this work in ways I couldn’t have predicted. It brought old patterns to the surface and reminded me how quickly stress can pull us back into survival mode, especially when we care deeply about doing things differently. That experience strengthened my belief that healing isn’t about trying harder. It’s about understanding what’s being activated and responding with clarity and self-trust. It deepened my empathy and strengthened my commitment to helping women feel grounded, confident, and more in control of how they respond in their lives and relationships.
My clinical background includes trauma-focused work with children and teens, where I was trained and certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). That experience reshaped how I understood adult struggles; it became clear how often present-day symptoms are connected to earlier experiences that were never fully processed. From there, I pursued advanced training in EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help clients heal what’s underneath their symptoms - not just manage what shows up on the surface.
Clients often tell me they feel deeply seen, understood, and relieved in our work together. They describe sessions as clarifying, grounding, and different from therapy they’ve experienced before. I’m known for being attuned, thoughtful, and fully present - someone who can hold complexity, notice what others might miss, and help make sense of experiences that have felt confusing or overwhelming for a long time.
Training & Background
Grounded in advanced training, ongoing consultation, and continued professional development
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Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Michigan and Georgia
Certified EMDR Therapist
Certified Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) Therapist
Level 2 Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist
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M.A. in Professional Counseling, Central Michigan University
B.S. in Psychology, Michigan State University (Go Green!)
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Practicing counseling since 2017
Background in nonprofit and group practice settings
Founder of EMPWR Transformative Therapy (est. 2022)
Ongoing participation in IFS consultation and advanced training
Engaged in my own IFS and EMDR therapy as part of my continued personal and professional development