About Marisela
Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten helps people facing trauma, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and the stress that comes with caregiving and chronic illness. She also supports parents, people navigating grief or relationship strain, and those wrestling with self-esteem, sleep problems, anger, or career doubts. Marisela is an LMSW with ten years providing individual therapy in Michigan, and she brings a calm, compassionate presence to conversations.
Her style is practical and down-to-earth. Sessions focus on clear steps and skills people can use between meetings.
How Marisela works
She listens first, then works with each person to set realistic goals and a plan that fits their life. She respects cultural background and identifies as an LGBTQ+ ally. Marisela uses approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioral techniques, dialectical behavior tools, and mindfulness.
These methods are used to help people manage painful thoughts, reduce unhelpful reactions, and strengthen coping skills. She adapts techniques to match what each person needs rather than following a single formula. People can expect a collaborative tone in sessions.
Conversations balance emotional support with practical strategies like breathing exercises, thought work, and behavior changes. The aim is steady progress toward clearer thinking, better sleep, and more reliable ways of handling stress. She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging for therapy.
New clients begin by completing a short matching questionnaire and scheduling sessions according to therapist availability.
Marisela lists 9 ways of working on the entry:
What Marisela works with
The areas below are the ones Marisela selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Bipolar disorder
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LMSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 10 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Michigan |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Marisela often uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice difficult thoughts and commit to values-based actions. ACT focuses on what matters most and teaches ways to act despite painful feelings. She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and experiment with new behaviors that lead to better mood and sleep.Finding the right approach is part of the process. She works with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That decision is collaborative and may change as people try different tools and see what helps most.
Online therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video calls let people see nonverbal cues and work through exercises together. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging are useful for quick check-ins, skill practice, and ongoing coaching between sessions, adding flexibility to fit therapy into busy lives.
Start online instead of waiting
Our partner service asks a few questions about what you are looking for and matches you with a therapist for sessions from home.
Book with MariselaWe will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you.
Common questions
What concerns does Marisela address?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How much experience does she have?
What are her credentials and location?
Which languages are supported and can international clients join?
What session formats are available?
How does cost and payment work?
How do I get started with therapy?
A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. Entries are not assessed or endorsed by this directory.
Other entries for trauma and abuse
Supportive LCSW helping people build strength and clarity
Practical, trauma-aware therapy for everyday life
Practical, empathetic therapy for life transitions