About Michael
Michael Johnnson is a licensed professional counselor with four decades of experience. He welcomes straightforward conversations about stress, anxiety, relationships, grief, addiction, ADHD, and life transitions. He writes plainly and listens closely so people feel heard and understood.
He uses practical tools and simple language to help people manage daily problems and longer term struggles. Sessions may focus on skills for mood and attention, ways to handle anger or compulsive behaviors, or steps to repair communication.
Background and approach
Michael aims to match pace and depth to each person’s needs so work moves at a comfortable rate. His background includes long clinical experience and a history of personal life events that shape his approach. He has worked with adults on issues related to marriage and divorce, blended families, addiction recovery, caregiving stress, and career concerns.
He also offers perspective from his faith when people want that included. Therapeutic methods he commonly draws on include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioral techniques, motivational interviewing, client-centered listening, and brief solution-focused work. He explains what each step is for and checks in about how it’s going.
People meet him for coaching, coping strategies, and help making practical changes. He asks questions, clarifies goals, and helps create simple plans that can be tried between sessions. The focus is on clear next steps and measurable progress.
Therapeutic approaches and online support
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values; it can be useful for anxiety, stress, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing new behaviors to reduce symptoms like low mood or impulsive responses. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathic listening and collaboration, giving the person space to set the pace and priorities for change.Finding the right approach is a team effort. Michael works with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, combining techniques when that makes sense. He explains the options and adjusts plans as progress and preferences become clear.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which let people connect in ways that fit their day. Video is useful for face-to-face conversation and skills practice, phone works when bandwidth is limited, and chat or messaging supports brief check-ins or ongoing coaching. These options make it easier to fit sessions around work, caregiving, or travel while keeping therapy practical and goal-oriented.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Parenting issues
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating disorders
- Family problems
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Visually impaired
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 40 years
- Licensed
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English
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