Michael Southerland, LMFT

Michael Southerland is a California-based licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with 12 years of experience. He works with people coping with stress, anxiety, depression, and concerns tied to intimacy and relationships. He also helps clients who are navigating LGBT-related issues and wants to make therapy a practical step toward feeling better.

He approaches work with the view that each person knows their story best. Sessions focus on building on strengths and finding manageable steps forward. Michael aims to make the first visit feel straightforward and respectful so people can use their courage and move at their own pace.

He blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with client-centered listening to create clear, actionable strategies. He also draws on existential and narrative ideas when it helps people reframe problems or examine life meaning. Solution-focused techniques are used to set short-term goals and track progress.

In sessions Michael helps people address common patterns such as codependency, communication problems, commitment worries, and control issues. He also supports those working through adoption or foster care history, attachment concerns, body image, and substance or eating-related struggles.

People meet with him by phone, video, live chat, or text-based messaging. Sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time, and scheduling is set after a short matching questionnaire.

Practical approaches for online therapy

Michael commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and test small behavior changes. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, and stress because it focuses on concrete steps and skills practice. He also uses client-centered therapy, which emphasizes listening closely and following the person’s own goals and pace to build trust and clarity.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Michael will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what methods feel useful. He adapts techniques over time so the plan matches changing needs and progress in sessions.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is helpful for deeper conversations and visual cues, phone works well when bandwidth is limited, live chat offers a quicker check-in, and messaging supports short updates or ongoing reflections. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, family, or busy days while keeping a steady path toward the goals discussed in sessions.