Discover how starting teen counseling 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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My go-to approach for helping teen clients in counseling is cognitive behavioral therapy. With cognitive behavioral therapy, teens learn to understand that their thoughts create their emotions, and then their emotions dictate their behavior. The clients learn that they can change their thoughts to reduce negative emotions and negative behaviors.
The main tool that I teach in counseling with teens is cognitive restructuring, where the clients identify their negative, irrational thoughts and learn to replace them with rational adaptive thoughts. In addition to cognitive restructuring, I also play therapy games that build social skills and teach relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and anxiety reduction.
I know when a client is making meaningful progress during counseling when they freely report their struggles and offer solutions.
Teens can supplement their time in counseling by using apps to track their moods and cognitive restructuring apps on their phone.
To prepare for their first teen counseling session, a teen can research the therapist that they will be seeing, try to prepare some reasonable goals, as well as identify the things that they feel they struggle with.
Teen counseling helps young individuals better understand and manage the challenges that affect their mental health. Common challenges amongst teens include anxiety, depression, ADHD, and problematic relationships with food.
Teen counseling works by using multiple techniques, tailored to fit the teen’s unique needs — based on their age group, their challenges, and the severity of their challenges. It might involve cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, art therapy, and others for varying ages. In any case, Thriveworks teen therapists in Portage have the expertise and experience to help young individuals at their level.
Signs that teens might need Teen counseling can be very subjective, as they are experiencing many changes and can have intense reactions to them. As parents, you know your child best and are best equipped to judge whether certain reactions are standard behaviors for your teen or whether they might be hinting at a larger problem. Even so, there are a few common signs and events that often point to a need for therapy, such as experiencing divorce or loss, grief, consistent low moods, teens distancing themselves and becoming isolated, losing interest in hobbies, excessive anger or irritability, substance use issues, and suicidal ideation, among others.
Teen counseling providers at Thriveworks in Portage, MI offer both in person and online therapy by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
The length of teen counseling depends on your teen’s needs as well as the goals that you and their therapist might have for them. Generally, teen counseling sessions will last for several months.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
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