Giancarlo Pia, LMSW, LCSW

Giancarlo Pia is a licensed social worker in Michigan who brings 19 years of clinical experience to his work. He holds LMSW and LCSW credentials and has spent years helping people facing anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction. He also offers support for parenting stresses, grief, relationship strain, and identity-related concerns within the LGBTIA+ community.

He approaches sessions with a straightforward and respectful style. He listens to each person’s story and builds on their strengths. Sessions focus on practical steps that make daily life easier. He aims to create a space where clients can try new ways of coping without pressure.

Giancarlo uses tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy alongside client-centered and mindfulness-based methods. He mixes problem-solving with reflective work so people can manage symptoms and clarify values. Motivational interviewing is used when people want help moving through change, like with substance use or career shifts.

People who reach out can expect a collaborative process. The therapist helps set goals together and adapts strategies to fit each person’s needs. He is comfortable addressing complex family issues, blended household concerns, and challenges tied to mood disorders and ADHD.

Sessions may cover practical skills for stress and anger, strategies for coping with grief, or steps toward recovery from substance use. The overall aim is steady progress and clearer choices in daily life.

How therapy approaches shape online care

Giancarlo commonly draws on cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. CBT often involves setting small goals, testing ideas in everyday life, and using concrete tools to reduce anxiety or depressive symptoms.

He also works with acceptance and commitment therapy, which focuses on identifying personal values and taking committed steps toward them. ACT helps when people feel stuck by teaching ways to accept difficult thoughts while still moving toward meaningful actions.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. He collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and comfort. That might mean practicing breath-based mindfulness one week and trying behavioral experiments the next.

Online therapy is offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care more flexible. Video is useful for longer sessions and when visual cues help the work. Phone sessions can be easier if bandwidth is limited or for a mid-day check-in. Live chat and text messaging are good for short updates, skill coaching between sessions, or when someone prefers not to be on camera. These options aim to fit therapy into busy schedules and varied routines.