Dr. Michaela Hammer

Dr. Michaela Hammer focuses her practice on supporting people through major life transitions, with particular emphasis on adolescence through mid-life and beyond. She helps individuals, couples, and families navigate changes in relationships, community roles, and everyday responsibilities while separating common myths from facts about aging, memory, mood, physical fitness, sexuality, and neurodivergence.

With 35 years of clinical experience, Dr. Hammer brings advanced education and practical skills to assessments of memory loss and cognitive functioning - not all memory changes are permanent, and she offers evaluation and follow-up to help people understand their options. She also provides counseling for grief and loss, including a specialized focus on pet grief when the death of a four-legged family member has a profound impact.

Her clinical work spans a wide range of concerns, including relationship issues, grief, depression, coping with life changes, ADHD, stress, anxiety, family conflict, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related concerns, parenting challenges, anger management, self-esteem, career difficulties, and bipolar disorder. She has delivered therapy in many settings - in her office, in private homes, in schools, and within retirement communities, nursing homes, and hospitals - and has experience creating memory clinics and conducting routine depression and anxiety assessments.

Dr. Hammer has provided in-service instruction on cultural awareness and aging issues and has worked with people from diverse racial, religious, socioeconomic, and educational backgrounds. Her caseload has included clients across the lifespan, from preteens to adults over 100 years of age.

Her approach reflects both professional training and personal experience with loss. Her father was a teacher and elementary school principal who overcame cancer in his 30s but died suddenly at age 45 while on vacation; Dr. Hammer was 25 at that time. She has a younger brother who was born when she was a high school senior and who is now a full professor conducting research in cardiac topics and ultramarathons. Her sister experienced seizures throughout life and died before age 50. Their mother was a highly educated and resilient woman who modeled determination.

Dr. Hammer is a licensed clinical social worker in both Florida and New Mexico and brings decades of practice to her work helping people live fuller, more hopeful lives with respect and dignity. She emphasizes that each person is unique, that issues are not strictly age-specific, and that people should not have to face life’s challenges alone.