Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten, LMSW
Experienced Michigan LMSW supporting midlife changes
Continue with Marisela
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- Practical coping skills
- Culturally mindful care
- Focus on daily goals
About Marisela
Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten is a licensed social worker in Michigan who helps people facing midlife transitions, trauma, depression, anxiety, and stress. She focuses on building confidence, improving motivation, and easing the burden of caregiving and chronic health concerns. Marisela presents a calm, respectful presence and acknowledges the role culture and identity play in each person’s story.
She uses a conversational, tailored approach rather than a one-size-fits-all plan. Conversations are shaped around each person’s goals and daily realities. That might include practical steps for sleep, coping with grief, addressing anger, or managing mood swings related to bipolar disorder.
Marisela draws on several well-known methods including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Client-Centered and Mindfulness approaches. She blends these tools to match the problem at hand and the client’s preferences. Sessions emphasize skills you can use between meetings as well as reflections that help clarify next steps.
Her background includes a decade of focused individual therapy practice alongside broader professional experience. She identifies as an LGBTQ+ ally and pays attention to cultural factors that affect care. People who choose her can expect an empathetic, practical style aimed at helping them make meaningful changes.
Marisela invites those ready to take a first step to describe what feels most urgent, then work together on a plan that fits daily life and long-term goals.
She uses a conversational, tailored approach rather than a one-size-fits-all plan. Conversations are shaped around each person’s goals and daily realities. That might include practical steps for sleep, coping with grief, addressing anger, or managing mood swings related to bipolar disorder.
Marisela draws on several well-known methods including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Client-Centered and Mindfulness approaches. She blends these tools to match the problem at hand and the client’s preferences. Sessions emphasize skills you can use between meetings as well as reflections that help clarify next steps.
Her background includes a decade of focused individual therapy practice alongside broader professional experience. She identifies as an LGBTQ+ ally and pays attention to cultural factors that affect care. People who choose her can expect an empathetic, practical style aimed at helping them make meaningful changes.
Marisela invites those ready to take a first step to describe what feels most urgent, then work together on a plan that fits daily life and long-term goals.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Stress, AnxietyLGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyMen's issuesMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPost-traumatic stressPrejudice and discriminationSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobiaTrichotillomaniaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy
Experience
10+ years
Credentials
Michigan
Languages
English
How therapy approaches shape online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them while focusing on what matters most to them. It can be useful for stress, midlife transitions, anxiety, and making values-based choices. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical strategies to change patterns that contribute to depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and low self-esteem.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit best with their goals and daily life. That decision can change over time as progress is made and needs shift.
If you are considering online work, confirm the current session options before booking so you know what formats are offered. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and support shorter check-ins when needed. Therapists and licensed professionals often adapt exercises and homework for the online setting so learning and skill practice carry over into everyday life.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns can this therapist help with?
She works with a wide range of concerns including trauma and abuse, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, grief, caregiver stress, ADHD, relationship and intimacy issues, and midlife transitions.
What is her therapeutic style like?
The style is conversational and client-centered, focusing on practical steps and skills. Sessions are tailored to each person’s needs and goals.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 10 years providing individual therapy and additional professional experience across other roles prior to that.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is an LMSW, which stands for Licensed Master Social Worker, and practices in Michigan.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working together?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.