About Michael
Michael Masters is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in New York. He brings five years of clinical experience to conversations about anxiety, trauma, depression, and life changes. He speaks English and offers sessions to people inside and outside the U.S.
Michael’s approach is practical and people-centered. He uses acceptance and commitment techniques alongside cognitive behavioral strategies to help clients notice what matters and change unhelpful patterns. He blends client-centered listening with dialectical tools when strong emotions or relationship stress come up.
Background and approach
Many people come to him for help with phobias, anxiety, grief, and stress. He also supports clients facing addiction, self-esteem struggles, parenting stress, relationship and intimacy concerns, and career or caregiver strain. Additional focus areas include attachment difficulties, chronic illness, blended family dynamics, and issues related to adoption and foster care.
Before clinical practice he worked as a community organizer and counseled people affected by systemic conflict and traumatic histories. That background informs a down-to-earth style and an emphasis on practical steps clients can use between sessions. He aims to make sessions clear and doable rather than overly clinical.
Sessions are offered via video, phone, live chat, or text messaging. Michael uses a subscription model for sessions that can be canceled at any time. To begin, clients select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
How therapeutic approaches work online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify their values and take small, meaningful actions even when feelings are difficult. It focuses on building willingness to experience emotions while moving toward what matters most. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior and uses practical exercises to change unhelpful patterns. It is often used for anxiety, phobias, and depression. Client-Centered Therapy centers on listening and responding to the person in front of the therapist, offering space to talk things through and arrive at insights at the client’s pace.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Michael will discuss these methods with each person and together you will decide which strategies match your goals and preferences. He adapts techniques as progress is made so sessions stay focused on what helps most.
Online therapy offers flexibility for busy lives. Video calls let you read facial cues and practice skills in real time. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when you need a shorter check-in. Live chat or text-based messaging work well for ongoing support between sessions or for people who prefer writing. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or travel schedules while using the approaches above to address anxiety, phobias, grief, and stress.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Intellectual disability
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Stress, Anxiety
- Traumatic brain injury
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English
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