Michael Hurd

Michael Hurd is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who uses a solution-focused, goal-oriented style. He presents himself as a thinking partner who helps people move forward rather than getting stuck on labels or past problems.

Sessions emphasize current problems and practical steps. Childhood and background are discussed only when they help reach a goal. Michael looks for strengths clients may have overlooked and builds on them to reduce self-defeating behaviors.

He has decades of experience working with stress, anxiety, addictions, grief, relationship strain, and many life transitions. That experience includes writing books and articles that explore everyday coping and what helps people change their lives. He describes his role as a guide and coach rather than someone who prescribes answers.

In practice he combines client-centered listening with strategies from cognitive behavioral and solution-focused work. He may also draw on Internal Family Systems ideas when useful to understand internal parts and how they influence behavior. The focus is practical change you can use day to day.

Michael works with issues ranging from self-esteem and depression to caregiver strain, compassion fatigue, and ADHD. He also supports people facing end-of-life concerns and hospice-related stress, helping them and their loved ones navigate decisions and emotions. The goal is clear steps that fit a person's life and values.

To begin, he asks clients to identify concrete goals and then shapes sessions around measurable progress. The emphasis is on thinking things through together and finding what works now.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening, empathy, and helping you feel heard so you can find your own solutions; it is useful when people need to process emotions and build confidence. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors interact and uses practical exercises to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and change unhelpful patterns. Solution-Focused Therapy zeroes in on specific goals and small steps that create noticeable progress in daily life.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will collaborate with each person to match methods to needs, goals, and preferences. That means checking in and adjusting the plan if a technique is not helping or if priorities change.

Confirm the session formats available before booking so you know what is offered. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, shorten check-ins when needed, and focus on skills and steps that transfer directly into everyday life. Licensed professionals can guide practical coping, grief and end-of-life discussions, and skills practice across distance while adapting methods to what the person finds most helpful.