Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten

Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten is a licensed social worker in Michigan who focuses on helping people facing trauma, mood struggles, stress, and relationship concerns. She works with individuals dealing with depression, bipolar symptoms, anxiety, grief, and issues that affect sleep, anger, and self-esteem. She is an LGBTQ+ ally and pays attention to how culture shapes each person's experience.

She draws on ten years of direct individual-therapy work within a longer career in related fields. Her style is warm and respectful. She aims to listen first, then tailor conversations and plans to fit what each person needs. Sessions focus on practical steps people can use between meetings.

Her approach blends several methods to match the problem at hand. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people notice and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy offers skills for emotion regulation and distress tolerance. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness practices support noticing thoughts without getting stuck in them.

Marisela also helps with caregiver stress, chronic illness and pain, codependency, communication problems, and issues tied to abandonment or aging. She describes therapy as a collaborative process and invites people to set goals together. Her work prioritizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion throughout the process.

Clients can expect straightforward conversations and clear, practical tools. The focus is on small, achievable changes that build toward a more fulfilling life. Marisela emphasizes empowerment and supports people as they take the steps toward change.

How therapeutic approaches shape online work

Marisela uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice thought and behavior patterns that keep problems going, then practice small changes that lower stress and improve mood. This approach is often useful for anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and motivation problems.

She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness techniques to teach noticing and accepting difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck. Those methods can help with grief, chronic pain, caregiver fatigue, and situations where avoiding feelings makes things harder.

Choosing the right approach is a team effort. Marisela will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasnt helped in the past. Together they decide which methods to try and how to adapt them to everyday life.

Confirm current session options before booking so you know which formats are offered. Online work can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and reduce the need to travel. The therapist will help tailor session length and focus so therapy fits with your schedule and needs.