About Marisela
Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten is an LMSW who helps people manage anxiety, stress, depression, and the effects of trauma and abuse. She offers calm, steady support for people facing life changes, caregiving strain, bipolar mood challenges, and relationship or intimacy concerns. Marisela is an LGBTQ+ ally and respects each person’s cultural background.
She uses a mix of approaches to fit the person in front of her. Sessions focus on practical skills for coping, lift-ing stuck patterns, and building clearer choices.
Background and approach
Marisela aims for straight talk and warmth rather than jargon. Her work emphasizes everyday tools people can use between sessions. That includes mindfulness practices to slow intense feelings, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to shift unhelpful thoughts, and acceptance-based ideas to make room for hard emotions.
Clients leave with steps they can try the same week. Marisela brings ten years of direct therapy experience and broader professional experience in Michigan. She tailors sessions to each person’s needs and pace.
The process begins with listening closely and shaping goals together. People who reach out can expect a collaborative, respectful approach. Marisela supports goal setting, practical problem solving, and steady encouragement while people learn new ways to manage stress, sleep problems, anger, or low self-esteem.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice inner struggles without getting ruled by them. It uses values-based steps so clients can take small actions toward a life they care about even when feelings are strong. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It offers concrete tools for anxiety, sleep problems, and low mood that people can practice between sessions. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve focus during stressful moments.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist listens to your concerns and goals, then works together with you to try methods that fit your needs and preferences. Plans are adjusted over time based on what helps most in day-to-day life.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to keep working on goals. Video calls let you have face-to-face conversation when you want visual connection. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in fits your day. Live chat or text-based messaging can suit quick updates, coaching-style support, or times when typing feels more comfortable. These options make it simpler to maintain continuity of care around work, caregiving, or travel schedules.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Bipolar disorder
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- Michigan
- Languages
- English
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