Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Depression
How Michael works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCPC, LPC
- Licensed in
- Missouri, Kansas
- Years in practice
- 24
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Michael
Michael James is a licensed counselor with 24 years of experience helping people who are struggling to make changes in their lives. He approaches therapy as a collaborative process and focuses on building a strong working relationship first. Michael aims to make the therapy space straightforward and practical for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, anger, or substance use.
He draws heavily on cognitive-behavioral ideas to identify unhelpful thoughts and habits and replace them with clearer choices.
Background and approach
He also uses client-centered listening to make sure people feel heard and understood before moving on to exercises or behavior changes. Michael has worked across many settings and with a broad range of concerns, including depression, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting stresses, ADHD, and coping with life changes.
He helps people address problems like sleep and eating difficulties, feelings of emptiness, shame, or struggles with forgiveness and infidelity. Sessions often focus on practical skills people can use between meetings. That may include thought records, behavioral experiments, mindfulness practices, or goal-focused steps drawn from solution-focused and motivational interviewing approaches.
He is licensed as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, LCPC, and a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, in Missouri. Michael offers a direct, steady style intended to help people make realistic changes at their own pace.
What Michael works with
Everything Michael lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Michael's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Depression
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Personality disorders
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Michael lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- 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 therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Michael combines client-centered listening with cognitive-behavioral tools to help people address upsetting thoughts and behaviors. Client-centered Therapy focuses on empathetic listening and making sure the person feels heard before setting goals. It helps people who need space to talk through worries and to feel understood.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions and uses small experiments and skill practice to change unhelpful patterns. CBT is often useful for anxiety, anger, depression, and problems with sleep or substance use.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Michael will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust them over time based on progress and feedback.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits for working with these approaches. Video calls let the therapist and client use visual cues during skill demonstrations and mindfulness practice. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or for brief check-ins. Live chat and text-based messaging allow short, on-the-go check-ins or written exercises between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule while continuing to use CBT and client-centered methods.
Questions people ask about Michael
What kinds of concerns does Michael address?
He works with a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, anger, addictions, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy problems, parenting stress, ADHD, and eating or sleeping difficulties.
What is his general therapy style?
Michael uses a collaborative, client-centered approach that blends practical techniques with listening. He focuses on building a working relationship before introducing exercises and strategies.
How long has he been practicing?
He has 24 years of professional experience working in counseling and therapy settings.
Where is he licensed and located?
He holds LCPC and LPC credentials and practices in Missouri.
Can non-U.S. clients work with him?
Sessions are conducted in English and he is not taking international clients.
What session formats are available?
He offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are delivered through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.