01 · Who Joshua works with

Joshua works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and self esteem

Joshua lists 14 specialisms and 19 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Joshua chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Joshua's own words

What Joshua says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Hi, I’m Josh, a licensed therapist in Michigan. If you’re here, there’s a good chance something in your life has become difficult, overwhelming, or just harder to manage than it used to be. Maybe you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, dealing with stress or relationship problems, trying to work through something from your past, or simply feeling stuck and unsure of what comes next. Whatever brought you here, you don’t have to figure it all out alone.

I’ve spent much of my career working with adults facing a wide range of challenges, including depression, anxiety, grief and loss, substance use, relationship difficulties, self-esteem, major life transitions, and the everyday stress that can come with work, family, and life. I especially enjoy working with men who may have spent years putting everyone else first or feeling like they’re supposed to handle everything on their own.

My approach to therapy is warm, straightforward, and practical. I don’t believe you need to have everything figured out before coming to therapy, and I’m not here to judge you or tell you how you “should” feel. Instead, I want to understand your experience, meet you where you are, and work with you to figure out what will actually help. I draw from approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, mindfulness, skills-based approaches, tailoring therapy to the person rather than trying to fit the person into a particular treatment model.

I believe therapy should be a place where you can be honest-even when things are messy, uncomfortable, or difficult to talk about. At the same time, I believe therapy should be more than simply talking about your problems. My goal is to help you understand yourself better, identify patterns that may be keeping you stuck, develop practical tools for managing difficult emotions, and make meaningful changes in your life.

Whether you're struggling with a specific problem, going through a major transition, trying to heal from something painful, or simply know that you don't want to keep feeling the way you do, I’d be honored to work with you. Taking that first step can be difficult, but reaching out is a sign of strength-not weakness.

You don’t have to have the right words or know exactly where to begin. We can start wherever you are.

Joshua Dekker, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Joshua works

The 6 approaches Joshua lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Joshua lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Joshua's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Joshua runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Joshua practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Joshua's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Joshua at this point.

2. Naming Joshua specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Joshua is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Joshua.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

2 questions worth asking Joshua

Built from what Joshua actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Joshua's - Joshua has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LMSW

Licensed in

Michigan

Licence

MI LMSW 6801111340

Licence number

6801111340

Licence expires

17 Sep 2028

NPI

1821656711

Years in practice

7

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

28 Aug 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Joshua's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Joshua. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.