Michael Spain, LMFT, LPC

Michael Spain is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 30 years of clinical experience. He offers practical, goal-oriented help for people feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure about next steps. Sessions are conducted in English and Spanish, and he accepts international clients.

Michael centers his work on approaches that lead to concrete change. He uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution-Focused techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and build useful habits. Narrative Therapy helps people reframe the stories they tell about themselves, and Internal Family Systems can clarify inner conflicts.

He commonly helps with stress, anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes such as midlife transitions. He also supports people facing family and parenting challenges, caregiver stress, blended family issues, and struggles with addiction or codependency. Michael often works with men seeking clearer direction and teenagers needing help with identity and motivation.

In sessions he focuses on patterns, communication skills, and small practical steps clients can use between meetings. When faith is important, he can integrate Christian perspectives, including biblical principles and prayer, while also working respectfully with people of any or no faith background.

Clients can expect collaborative work that aims for observable progress. Michael prioritizes tools that help with daily life - improved communication, better coping skills, and clearer plans for moving forward.

How his approaches translate to online therapy

Michael often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot and change the thoughts and habits that keep problems going. CBT sessions typically focus on specific patterns, practical exercises, and homework to try between meetings, which adapts well to remote work.

Narrative Therapy is another approach he uses to help people rewrite unhelpful life stories. This method lets clients examine how they describe themselves and then test different perspectives over time to reduce shame and increase agency.

Solution-Focused Therapy supports fast, goal-directed work by identifying what is already working and expanding those strengths. It is useful for people who want short-term focus on immediate next steps and clearer plans for change.

Choosing an approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and daily life to pick methods that fit. Plans are adjusted as progress is made so therapy matches changing needs.

Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm available options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They can also support continued work during life transitions and for people living outside the therapist's city.