Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten, LMSW
Calm, practical support for real-life challenges
Book with MariselaWorks with
- Anger
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
How Marisela works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LMSW
- Licensed in
- Michigan
- Years in practice
- 10
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Marisela
Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten is a licensed master social worker (LMSW) in Michigan who helps people facing anger, anxiety, depression, trauma, and related concerns. She focuses on practical steps people can use day to day. Her approach aims to make small changes that add up to better coping and clearer thinking.
She brings a decade of direct therapy work to each session and broader professional experience across other roles. Sessions are shaped to fit individual needs, with attention to culture and identity.
Background and approach
Marisela identifies as an LGBTQ+ ally and centers respect and sensitivity in her work. In a typical session she listens first, then helps set goals that are realistic and measurable. She aims to increase coping skills, build self-esteem, and reduce the impact of worry or anger on daily life.
Treatment plans are adjusted as progress is made. Marisela uses tools from cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment approaches, and mindfulness to teach new ways of responding. She integrates client-centered conversation so people feel heard while they learn skills.
People reach out about many issues including caregiving stress, chronic illness or pain, grief, relationship conflicts, sleep problems, and work or career strain. She works with those navigating life transitions and those coping with trauma and abuse. Her style is steady, practical, and focused on helping people move forward.
What Marisela works with
Everything Marisela lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Marisela's practice.
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Marisela lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How Marisela’s Approaches Work Online
Marisela uses cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based techniques in online sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to change mood and reactions. Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices that can reduce reactivity and improve sleep and stress management.Finding the right method is part of the work together. Marisela will talk with each person about their needs and goals, then try approaches that fit those priorities. She adjusts the plan as clients report what helps and what does not, keeping the process collaborative and practical.
Online sessions can include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to match different situations. Video calls are useful for deeper conversation and skills practice. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low or camera use is not preferred. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for check-ins, brief coaching, or when a shorter contact fits a busy day. These options make scheduling more flexible and allow people to keep therapy consistent while managing work, caregiving, or health limitations.
Questions people ask about Marisela
What concerns does Marisela help with?
She supports people dealing with anger, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, caregiving stress, sleep problems, and related issues like self-esteem and relationship struggles.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is practical and client-centered. She listens first, then works with you to set small, clear goals and teaches skills you can use between sessions.
What experience does she bring to sessions?
Marisela has 10 years of direct therapy experience and additional professional work across other roles. That background informs a steady, skills-based approach.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds an LMSW, which stands for licensed master social worker, and practices in Michigan.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Marisela meets by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How does payment work and what does it cost?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability. Sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.