Prof. Michael McGaugh, LPC

Prof. Michael McGaugh helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, addictions, and many relationship and life-transition concerns. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with twenty-two years in mental health work. He uses practical talk and active problem-solving to help people make clearer choices and feel more in control.

He draws on cognitive behavioral therapy, client-centered work, and emotionally-focused ideas to guide sessions. That means he helps clients spot thought patterns that cause distress and practices small changes that add up. He also uses mindfulness and existential ideas to help people notice what matters to them now.

His background includes roles as an adult case manager and an intake specialist in community support settings. Those jobs shaped a straightforward style - listening, asking useful questions, and helping people set doable goals. He aims to make sessions feel like a shared effort to solve the problems at hand.

In sessions he focuses on building coping skills, improving communication, and reducing symptoms like panic, obsessive thinking, or low mood. He supports work on intimacy issues, parenting stress, career decisions, and grief or end-of-life concerns. He also addresses ADHD-related struggles, compassion fatigue, and addictions.

People can expect a practical approach with room for personal values and meaning. He works with clients to notice patterns, try new behaviors, and track what helps. The goal is steady progress toward clearer choices and better day-to-day functioning.

How his approaches translate to online work

Prof. McGaugh often uses cognitive behavioral therapy and client-centered methods in online sessions. CBT helps clients spot unhelpful thoughts and try small behavior changes to reduce anxiety, panic, or obsessive worries. Client-centered work focuses on listening and reflecting so a person can explore values, feelings, and choices at their own pace.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. He works collaboratively to match methods to a client's goals and preferences, adjusting the plan as progress is made. Together they decide whether to emphasize thought work, emotion-focused conversation, or mindful awareness exercises based on what feels most helpful.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video lets for face-to-face interaction and skills practice, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat supports brief check-ins, and messaging allows ongoing reflection between longer sessions. These options offer flexibility for different schedules and needs, helping people fit therapy into work, caregiving, or travel commitments.