01 · Who Laverne works with

Laverne works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and self esteem

Laverne lists 18 specialisms and 30 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Laverne chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Laverne's own words

What Laverne says about the work

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

Hello! My name is Laverne Santangelo and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Michigan. I am also a certified Wholistic Life Coach and Yoga Teacher. My experience and knowledge in the mental health field and helping professions is vast. I have volunteered and worked in some capacity of helping others to be the best they can be for 25yrs. I am a veteran. I retired from the Army National Guard with 23 years of honorable service

I have had my own personal experiences with mental health and I grew up in a family with close friends and loved ones who struggled with addiction. I understand what is like to seek treatment, face stigmas and overcome barriers to treatment. I have worked in a variety or treatment settings which has developed and enhanced my clinical knowledge throughout the years.

I have worked with women who struggled with shame, guilt and forgiveness after an abortion. I spent several years working inpatient with individuals struggling with substance use and also helping their families understand addiction. I have created and facilitated groups to help women smoothly navigate the numerous seasons of life. I have worked several years in community mental health treating individuals who have severe mental illness and substance use. I have added life coaching to my practice to help individual achieve personal goals and desires. I am also a certified in Trauma-Informed Yoga.

I am passionate about my clients reaching achieving balance and wellness in all areas of their life! Our minds, bodies and souls can become healthy from counseling, coaching and positive regard.

I used person-centered planning to develop a treatment plans I will work closely with my clients to seek the answers and solutions to whatever stage of life or issue they are experiencing. “I will meet you where you'r at!” I use Cognitive Behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and holistic approaches to help you on your journey to stability and wellness.

Laverne Santangelo, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Laverne works

The 5 approaches Laverne lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Laverne lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Laverne'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 Laverne runs a session.

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

Laverne 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 Laverne'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 Laverne at this point.

2. Naming Laverne specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Laverne 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 Laverne.

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

3 questions worth asking Laverne

Built from what Laverne actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Laverne's - Laverne 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 decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “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

LPC

Licensed in

Michigan

Licence

MI LPC 6401018344

Licence number

6401018344

Licence expires

18 May 2028

NPI

1568755338

Years in practice

10

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Laverne'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 Laverne. 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.