About Michael
Michael Mcbrearty uses clear, evidence-based approaches to help people move past stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and relationship concerns. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, and practices in New Jersey. Michael keeps the room straightforward and warm so people can focus on change without feeling judged.
He blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing to suit each person's needs. Sessions focus on practical steps - spotting patterns, trying new behaviors, and practicing skills between meetings.
How Michael works
Mindfulness techniques are offered to help with overwhelming emotions and chronic stress. With 20 years of experience, Michael has worked with people facing addiction, trauma and abuse, eating issues, bipolar symptoms, ADHD, and career strain. He also supports those dealing with caregiver stress, attachment concerns, and major life changes like divorce or bereavement.
He aims to help people find more balance and clearer direction. Michael approaches therapy with respect and compassion. He encourages small experiments and realistic goals so progress feels doable.
He believes change takes effort and shows up as a steady partner in that work. To begin, he asks people to identify a few clear goals and then tries methods that match those goals. Over time the work shifts from coping to building a life that feels more meaningful and manageable.
Michael lists 6 ways of working on the entry:
What Michael works with
The areas below are the ones Michael selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 20 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | New Jersey |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Michael’s approaches translate to online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice painful thoughts without getting stuck and commits them to actions that match their values. Online sessions can guide short exercises and homework that build more meaningful routines. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and testing new behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression. That work adapts well to live sessions and follow-up between meetings via messages or brief check-ins.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Michael will listen to your goals and try methods that fit your situation. Together you can adjust techniques over time based on what helps most, mixing mindfulness, behavior experiments, and coaching as needed.
Online formats offer practical flexibility. Video calls let you work face to face for deeper conversations and skill practice. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when you prefer not to use a camera. Live chat and text-based messaging make brief check-ins, coaching, and between-session support easier to fit into a busy day. These options make it simpler to keep momentum and try new strategies between sessions.
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Common questions
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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.
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