Discover how starting family therapy can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
7 therapists available in Portage
As your therapist, I will provide a safe place to explore your story and create the change you deserve....
About
As your therapist, I will provide a safe place to explore your story and create the change you deserve.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 25 years of experience in the behavioral health field. I bring a compassionate, practical, and collaborative approach to therapy, specializing in helping adults navigate life transitions, relationship challenges, anxiety, and the lasting effects of trauma. My style is warm, down-to-earth, and focused on helping clients feel seen, supported, and empowered to make meaningful change.
I earned my Master’s in Counseling from Oakland University. I draw from evidence-based approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and strengths-based therapy, while tailoring each session to the unique goals and pace of my clients.
Whether you’re working toward greater self-confidence, healthier boundaries, or clarity in a new season of life, I’ll meet you where you are and help you move forward with purpose and hope. Together, we’ll focus on growth that feels authentic, achievable, and meaningful to you.
Education and training
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Who you are is beautifully and uniquely crafted by your experiences in life and I am here to help you discover ways to improve you...
Who you are is beautifully and uniquely crafted by your experiences in life and I am here to help you discover ways to improve your quality of life and relationships.
Brandi Belcher is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 5 years of experience working in the mental health field. She is passionate about helping adults and couples navigate struggles within their daily lives/relationships in order to face unique challenges with strength, resiliency, and purpose. Brandi specializes in depression, anxiety, coping skills, family conflict, life transitions, mental stress, relationships, self-esteem, stress, substance use, women's issues, parenting, and pregnancy/postpartum-related concerns. She completed her Master of Social Work (MSW) at Western Michigan University.
Brandi’s knowledge of resources in the mental health community and her experience working with a wide variety of populations help her support and serve clients. She utilizes an integrative treatment approach that utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the Gottman method, motivation interviewing, person-centered planning, and solution-focused therapy.
In life, we are faced with challenges beyond our control that shape our outlook on life as well as our experience in it. Brandi can help you navigate that journey to discover ways to build resiliency, cope, and thrive. If you are ready to discover the best version of yourself, schedule an appointment with her today!
I am a dedicated Nurse Practitioner with over 18 years of nursing experience, providing comprehensive care in psychiatric and fami...
I am a dedicated Nurse Practitioner with over 18 years of nursing experience, providing comprehensive care in psychiatric and family practice settings.
Marvelyn Thompson is a dedicated Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with over 18 years of experience in psychiatric and family practice settings. She is passionate about providing personalized, compassionate care for clients managing anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and life transitions. She creates a supportive, judgment-free space where clients feel heard, empowered, and equipped with practical tools to manage their mental health and improve daily functioning.
Marvelyn earned a Master’s in Nursing Practice from Liberty University. She uses a compassionate, client-centered approach to help clients manage anxiety, depression, and mood disorders, combining clinical expertise with empathy to support each individual’s path to healing and stability.
Marvelyn understands that seeking help takes courage and believes in creating a safe, supportive space where clients feel comfortable being heard without judgment. She is here to guide clients through life’s challenges, offering encouragement, compassion, and personalized care to support their journey toward improved mental health and wellness.
Sometimes we all have difficulties in life, there is nothing wrong with reaching out for help....
Sometimes we all have difficulties in life, there is nothing wrong with reaching out for help.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with a passion for helping people through difficult times.
I completed my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Southern New Hampshire University. With a lived experience with depression and anxiety, I use my passion and experience to help others cope, utilizing multiple treatment approaches including mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and motivational interviewing.
When faced with challenges in life, we sometimes need support. I am able to provide a listening ear, a different perspective, and help you learn coping skills. Schedule an appointment today!
I am a caring and supportive individual that will help guide children and adults to learn the skills they need, while supporting t...
I am a caring and supportive individual that will help guide children and adults to learn the skills they need, while supporting them through their therapeutic journey.
I'm a Licensed Social Worker (LMSW-C) with over 5 years of experience. I enjoy helping children, adolescents, and adults through their challenges and stressors in life. I specialize in depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, PTSD, and trauma. I completed my Master's degree in Social Work at the University of Michigan. Throughout my career, I've worked with a wide range of individuals. This experience has equipped me with a profound understanding of the challenges and barriers faced by individuals.
I utilize an array of treatment approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and motivational interviewing.
Everyone has their own unique challenges in life. I look forward to walking alongside you on your therapeutic journey, providing guidance, support, and a listening ear every step of the way. Together, we can navigate the challenges that arise in life. Schedule an appointment with me today.
As a female Veteran who has worked in mental health over 13 years, I understand the vast spectrum of life experiences that challen...
As a female Veteran who has worked in mental health over 13 years, I understand the vast spectrum of life experiences that challenge clients.
Meet Michelle Brown, a seasoned Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner passionate about mental health and delving into the rich tapestry of human experiences across diverse cultures. With 13 years of navigating the complexities of anxiety, depression, trauma, and neurodiversity, Michelle is like a seasoned explorer in the realms of the mind. Trauma, she knows, is a common thread that weaves through many lives. It's this understanding that fuels her specialization in trauma therapy, honed through her own journey in a military family and her heartfelt work with veterans and those facing life's toughest challenges.
With a Master of Science in Nursing from Maryville University, Michelle blends her therapeutic and holistic care background with medication management. Her arsenal of treatment modalities includes everything from cognitive behavioral therapy to solution-focused therapy and motivational interviewing, offering her clients a comprehensive toolkit for healing.
In Michelle's world, therapy isn't a one-way street; it's a collaborative journey where client and practitioner work hand-in-hand to unravel the mysteries that stand in the way of growth and fulfillment. With her guidance, clients embark on a voyage of self-discovery, charting a course toward a brighter, more empowered future.
I graduated from Western Michigan University with a Masters in Couples, Marriage, and family Therapy. I am a Licensed Professional...
I graduated from Western Michigan University with a Masters in Couples, Marriage, and family Therapy. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Limited Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LLMFT). Life is full of transitions and challenges and counseling is way to help navigate your way through these difficult times in order to bring healing and growth. I have worked with a diversity of men and women, couples, and families in various settings. My specialties include but are not limited to working with people in recovery, with relationship problems, pre-marital, anxiety, and depression. I believe in a collaborative approach to therapy and that therapy is a process. I use and integrative approach to therapy that includes techniques and theories based on individual needs and desired outcomes. My desire is to provide a non-judgmental, empathetic, and warm environment that gives hope, and empowerment to reach your goals. I have been married for 20 years and have four children and two grandchildren.
You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
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The go to approach for helping people and family therapy is structural family therapy. This type of therapy focuses on how family interaction and dynamics contribute to the problems or issues the family may be facing.
The following tools can be taught in family therapy, such as setting boundaries and limits, developing new communication styles and strategies, learning to manage conflicts more effectively, and increasing empathy between family members.
A therapist is able to identify when a client is making meaningful progress and family therapy when they have a willingness to openly discuss their thoughts and feelings.
Clients can supplement their time and family therapy with spending meaningful time with one another outside of their therapy practicing the tools that they learned in session..
To prepare for their first family set therapy session, a client can identify how they handle conflict with each other, read about the therapist they will be seeing, and come up with some possible goals for therapy..
Family therapy helps families resolve conflicts and strengthen their relationships. It is led by qualified mental health professionals like psychologists, licensed professional counselors (LPCs), and licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) who have extensive training in family dynamics and group communication.
Thriveworks family therapists in Portage, MI usually begin by asking what everyone’s goals are for family counseling. Family members may need help with very specific issues or with general relationship functioning. But there are three main purposes in family counseling: to educate, to counsel, and to strengthen. Thriveworks also offers online family therapy and in-person services, so you may all meet in an office together or join a video call from your home depending on everyone’s location and availability.
The most effective form of Family therapy will often depend on the family itself, as there are many types of family therapy for therapists to use as they see fit in order to best meet the needs of their clients. However, one of the most commonly used types of family therapy is structural family therapy (SFT). SFT focuses specifically on family dynamics and interactions, looking at how they shape the relationships and structure present in the family. It can be effectively used to treat a variety of concerns.
This answer often looks different to each family that starts family therapy. However, some signs that your family might need to consider family counseling include frequent fights or misunderstandings, constant tension, experiencing loss, behavioral issues, marital issues, divorce, and blended family issues, among others.
In family therapy, therapists will often start by asking questions and assessing individual and family dynamics. From there, they may employ therapeutic techniques such as structured family therapy, CBT, strategic family therapy, and more depending on the present concerns and conflicts. From there, a therapist will work to open lines of communication between family members and facilitate emotional healing and growth.
Family therapy can be incredibly successful, with some studies reporting a success rate of almost 90% for improving participants’ emotional and mental health, and around 66% for improving their physical health.
Thriveworks therapists in Portage, MI offer both online family therapy and in-person family therapy. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
Family therapy is usually short term and solution-focused, with most families accomplishing their goals in 12 sessions or fewer. However, it can also last for longer if the probles at hand are more complex — and that’s okay, too.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
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