About Michael
Michael Henderson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 16 years in direct clinical practice. He focuses on stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, relationship concerns, and self-esteem. Michael uses practical methods to help people manage symptoms and improve daily functioning.
He has worked across inpatient hospitals, community behavioral health centers, and outpatient settings. That variety gave him experience with many mental health diagnoses and common treatment barriers. He draws on a broad clinical toolkit and community resources he has built over the years.
Background and approach
Michael takes a trauma-informed stance and affirms LGBTQIA identities. He listens first to learn a person’s history and priorities. From there he works with each person to set clear, achievable goals and to identify obstacles in the way.
Sessions move from gentle listening to more direct coaching as rapport grows. He helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, practice new ways of coping, and try small changes that add up over time. The focus is on practical steps that fit a person’s life.
People who come to Michael often bring ongoing stress, mood concerns, relationship difficulties, or challenges tied to medical or caregiving situations. He supports adults who want to better manage symptoms, make decisions, and improve how they relate to others.
Practical therapeutic approaches for online care
Michael draws on evidence-based techniques that focus on real-world change. Cognitive behavioral methods help people notice patterns of thinking and try new behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. These approaches teach simple skills to challenge unhelpful thoughts and build routines that improve mood and functioning.Mindfulness-informed strategies are used to increase present-moment awareness and reduce reactivity to stress. Learning short breathing or grounding practices can make strong emotions easier to manage in daily life. Motivational approaches support people who feel stuck by clarifying values and small next steps toward change.
Finding the right fit is a shared process. Michael works with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. He adjusts the approach over time based on what is helping and what is not, so therapy stays practical and focused on concrete progress.
Online delivery makes those methods easier to access. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and demonstrations, phone sessions are useful when bandwidth or cameras are limited, and live chat or text messaging work well for brief check-ins or notes between sessions. These formats offer flexibility so therapy can fit into work, caregiving, and busy schedules.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does he help with?
What is his therapeutic style like?
How much clinical experience does he have?
What are his credentials and where is he located?
Which languages are sessions provided in?
Can people outside the U.S. work with him?
How are sessions conducted and what formats are available?
How does payment and scheduling work?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- 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
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
- Experience
- 16 years
- Licensed
- Virginia
- Languages
- English