Michael Stephens, LMFT — Therapist in California

Hi there, I'm Michael!

My multicultural heritage, travel, and varied life experience help me empathize with clients facing difficult challenges. A pragmatic perspective from engineering and caregiving reminds me how vulnerability can impact coping and achieving intentions. I have experienced loss, disappointment, and limitation. I can relate.

My focus

I work effectively with clients seeking to move beyond negative experiences or current stressors and develop healthy coping skills. I can relate to many life challenges impacting thought, mood, and behavior, including anxiety, depression, grief, relationship issues, life transitions, and trauma.

My approach

I approach psychotherapy pragmatically with an existential/humanistic emphasis. Focusing on the present situations affecting thought, mood, and behavior. The past is introduced. The top modalities are CBT, Narrative, and Solution-Focused.

My communication style

Warm and inviting, engaging with presence, incorporating active listening skills, open-mindedness, and remembrance of suffering. An intention is set to connect and attune through empathy and relatedness to everyday human needs and desires.

My journey to mental healthcare

Caregiving for a parent led me to switch from engineering to mental health. I trained in mind-body modalities before becoming a therapist. I've worked in hospice, palliative care, chronic illness centers, and mental health settings.

My goals for you

We determine therapeutic goals collaboratively. Successful care is measured by reduction of unwanted symptoms, increased self-esteem, a sense of agency, and heightened care towards self, others, and meaningful endeavors.

Our first session

I invite you to share through questions like 'what motivates you to try therapy now?' I ask for details on presenting issues to clarify. The past enters our session to the degree it impacts current stressors and symptoms.

I identify as...

Male
Prefer Not to Respond

Expertise

Specialties

+ 14 more

Treatment approaches

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

Complicated Grief Therapy (CGT)

Humanistic

+ 3 more

Focus populations

Cancer

Educators

Military/Veterans

Police/Fire/First Responders

+ 4 more

Therapy types

Individual Therapy

Ages served

Adults

Practice

Accepted insurance providers

Aetna
All Savers
Allegiance
Allied
Anthem

+ 56 more

Languages spoken

English

Education

Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Policy & Management Emphasis from University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Arts (MA) in Counseling Psychology, Holistic Emphasis from John F. Kennedy University Pleasant Hill.

Sessions

60 minutes

Virtual sessions

Michael Stephens