Michael Cotter, LPC

Michael Cotter is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Missouri. He helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, grief, and relationship or family concerns. He also supports people facing parenting strain, career stress, ADHD symptoms, and challenges with intimacy and self-esteem.

Michael keeps sessions straightforward and practical. He listens without judgment and focuses on clear goals. He uses client-centered and solution-focused ways of working alongside Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, so conversations aim at useful changes rather than long lectures.

His background includes three years of clinical practice as an LPC in Missouri. He draws on experience helping people with addiction-related problems and the emotional issues that often come with them, such as trauma, mood swings, and substance use concerns. That experience shapes how he approaches recovery and coping.

In sessions he blends tools from CBT with listening-centered therapy and motivational interviewing. He helps people spot unhelpful thoughts, try small behavior changes, and build motivation to follow through. For trauma-related work he may use EMDR where appropriate alongside other approaches.

Michael works with each person at their own pace. He focuses on practical steps people can use between sessions. The aim is steady progress on real problems like sleep disruption, anger, relationship strain, or addictive behaviors.

Approaches that guide online sessions

CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes to reduce anxiety, improve mood, and change patterns linked to addiction or stress. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and working at the client’s pace so people feel heard while they decide on next steps. EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is used when trauma memories cause ongoing distress and involves guided processing to reduce the intensity of those memories.

Choosing the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, symptoms, and what feels most useful. Together they try methods and adjust the plan based on what helps most, combining techniques when that fits the client's needs.

Online sessions offer practical flexibility. Video calls let people read facial cues and work through exercises together. Phone sessions can be a good shorter option or used when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging work for quick check-ins, journaling between sessions, or for people who prefer typing. These formats make it easier to fit therapy around work, parenting, or recovery commitments while using the therapist’s chosen methods.