- Trauma and mood focus
- Practical coping skills
- LGBTQ+ ally
About Marisela
Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten is a licensed social worker in Michigan who focuses on helping people navigate trauma, mood challenges, stress, and life changes. She practises with respect and sensitivity and aims to make therapy practical and approachable. She identifies as an LGBTQ+ ally and attends to cultural factors that shape each person's story.
With ten years of direct individual therapy experience, she draws on straightforward conversational work. Sessions focus on building motivation, improving self-esteem, and addressing depression or bipolar symptoms when they affect daily life. She also assists people facing chronic illness, caregiver strain, grief, and sleep or anger problems.
Her style is collaborative and tailored. She listens first, then shapes goals and techniques around what a person wants to change. Clients can expect an emphasis on real skills to manage stress and emotions, plus space to talk through painful events and losses.
Marisela uses methods that include acceptance and commitment ideas, client-centered approaches, cognitive behavioral strategies, dialectical behavior elements, and mindfulness practices. These tools are applied in simple, concrete ways so people can try them between sessions and notice small changes.
She encourages realistic goals and steady progress rather than dramatic promises. People who want someone calm, compassionate, and direct about next steps may find her approach helpful. To begin, follow the site process to match and schedule a first appointment.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values. It is often used for anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing new behaviors to reduce symptoms like worry, low mood, or sleep problems. It tends to be practical and skill-focused. Mindfulness Therapy involves simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve moment-to-moment awareness, which can aid stress, anger, and emotional regulation.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences, then suggest methods to try. That decision is collaborative and can change as progress is made or needs shift.
Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm specific online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, cut commuting time, and allow brief check-ins when needed. It can also make it simpler to practice skills between meetings and to keep therapy consistent through life changes. Licensed professionals tailor sessions to what suits each person's schedule and goals, helping therapy fit into everyday routines.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
10+ years
Credentials
Michigan
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She helps people with trauma and abuse, depression and bipolar concerns, anxiety and stress, grief, caregiver strain, ADHD, relationship and intimacy issues, sleep problems, anger, and self-esteem challenges.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is warm and collaborative. She listens, sets clear goals with the person, and focuses on practical skills to use between sessions.
What relevant experience does she bring?
She has ten years of experience providing individual therapy and a longer professional background in related work. That clinical experience informs her approach to common and complex issues.
What credentials and region does she practise in?
She holds an LMSW, which is listed as MI LMSW, and she is based in Michigan.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted; sessions are arranged for clients within her permitted region.
How does cost and payment work?
Cost varies with location and is tied to a subscription model that can be canceled at any time; specific pricing depends on the match and plan chosen.
What do I do to get started?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session according to the therapist's availability.