Michael Garrison
Calm, practical therapy with clear goals
- Credentials
- LMSW, LCSW
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed in
- Michigan, Oregon
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Michael
Michael Garrison is a licensed social worker based in Michigan with ten years of experience. He has worked in school settings and community mental health for nearly a decade. He uses practical, down-to-earth guidance and aims to build a strong connection during sessions.
He has focused work with children and parents, including Parent Management Training - Oregon model, which teaches positive parenting strategies that promote respect and safety. He also has experience supporting people facing trauma, addiction, personality challenges, and mood disorders.
Background and approach
Michael holds LMSW and LCSW credentials and has completed training in several evidence-based methods. In sessions he offers support and validation and emphasizes the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for change. He helps people reflect, talk through issues, and practice new skills between meetings.
He describes meeting clients where they are and working toward clear goals that matter to them. Michael is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and is a certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapist. He blends these methods to match each person’s needs and to focus on practical steps forward.
He frames therapy as collaborative work. Parents and individuals can expect straightforward talk, skill-building, and a focus on actions that support better day-to-day functioning. He welcomes the chance to meet and work alongside those seeking change.
Evidence-based approaches for online care
Michael uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thought and behavior patterns; it is often useful for anxiety, depression, and stress. He also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills for intense moods and relationship struggles. As a certified EMDR therapist he can apply EMDR for processing traumatic memories when appropriate.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. He will work with each person to match methods to their goals, needs, and preferences, adjusting plans as progress is made. The focus stays practical - finding what helps in everyday life and building skills that transfer outside sessions.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which offer flexibility for parents and busy people. These options make it easier to fit therapy into real schedules, keep continuity between meetings, and use brief check-ins when needed. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises and skills work to each format so clients get consistent support regardless of how they connect.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.
EMDR
A structured protocol used with distressing memories, pairing recall with guided attention tasks. Some therapists adapt it for video sessions; whether that fits is worth asking about directly.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Impulsivity
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sleeping disorders
- Stress, Anxiety
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- Michigan, Oregon
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Michael
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