Michael Minnella
Seasoned counselor focused on practical skills
- Credentials
- LCPC
- Experience
- 26 years
- Licensed in
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Michael
Michael Minnella is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) who brings 26 years of experience to his work. He speaks calmly and focuses on helping people feel heard when they talk about stress, anxiety, addictions, or grief. He is direct but patient, and aims to make sessions approachable for someone worried about parenting or family concerns.
He uses practical, hands-on techniques in session. That includes mindfulness practices for anxiety and depression and cognitive-behavioral skill building to change unhelpful thoughts and routines.
Background and approach
He also teaches communication and assertiveness skills so people can express needs more clearly. Sessions are grounded in person-centered care. That means the conversation centers on the client’s goals and pace.
Attachment-based ideas are woven in when relationships or family patterns are part of the work. Michael has spent decades helping people manage anger, addiction, bipolar symptoms, sleep and eating issues, and the stress of life changes. He also supports people facing adoption or foster care challenges, caregiver strain, chronic illness, and blended family problems.
People who come for help often leave with simple, usable tools. These might be breathing and mindfulness exercises, thought records, or steps for clearer communication. The focus is on small changes that build into better daily functioning and stronger relationships.
How these approaches guide online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on noticing thoughts and values-based action. It helps people accept difficult emotions while taking steps that match what matters to them, useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions.Client-Centered Therapy centers the conversation on the person in front of the therapist. The therapist offers a calm, listening presence and follows the client’s pace, which supports work on self-esteem, grief, and parenting stress.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, history, and preferences and then suggest techniques to try. That collaboration helps tailor mindfulness exercises, thought-work, or communication practice to fit real life.
Confirm current session options before booking to learn which online formats are offered. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. They also let people practice skills in the settings where problems actually occur, such as working on assertive communication at home or trying relaxation tools before bedtime. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises like guided mindfulness, behavioral experiments, and assertiveness role-play to an online setting.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.
Attachment-Based Therapy
Looks at how early bonds shaped what you expect from closeness, and how that plays out now with a partner, a parent, or your own children.
Client-Centered Therapy
The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does he help with?
What is his style in therapy?
How much experience does he have?
What are his credentials and where is he based?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Can people from other countries work with him?
What does therapy cost and how do sessions work?
How do I begin a therapy relationship?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Anger management
Also works with
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Hearing impaired
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Gottman Method
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 26 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Michael
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point