01 · Who Michael works with

Michael works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and family conflicts

Michael lists 20 specialisms and 4 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Michael chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Michael's own words

What Michael says about the work

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

As a seasoned therapist working well over thirty years helping a diversified population from school age children their families to working with mentally-ill patients and providing substance abuse treatment to individuals and group therapy providing these services as career is very full feeling. Those whom are in need of getting their life back together is always a challenge and can be very stressful. So therefore, the approach to counseling requires different methods to the person needs depending on what is going on in their lives. Working with individuals does require different approaches such as cognitive/supportive/confrontational therapy to reach their ability to function well. It's always hard to ask for Help and open up to someone whom you do not know but the benefits can be very rewarding. If I can be of professional assistance to you please reach out and we can work together on these changes.

Michael McWhirter, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Oct 2026

03 · How Michael works

The 4 approaches Michael lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Michael lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Michael'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 Michael 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.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

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.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Michael 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 Michael'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 Michael at this point.

2. Naming Michael specifically

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

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

4 questions worth asking Michael

Built from what Michael actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Michael's - Michael 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.

• “With 38 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “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 6801017725

Licence number

6801017725

Licence expires

1 Aug 2027

NPI

1538759154

Years in practice

38

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Michael'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 7 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 Michael. 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.