Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten , LMSW

Marisela Cuellar-VanHouten is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) practicing in Michigan. She focuses on concerns like trauma and abuse, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and parenting stress. She also supports people dealing with grief, relationship and intimacy issues, ADHD, and career or life transitions.

Her style is direct and respectful. She listens first, then helps people set clear goals. Sessions are shaped around what the individual needs, using practical skills and steady support. Marisela emphasizes compassion and cultural awareness in conversations.

Marisela draws on acceptance and commitment ideas and cognitive behavioral techniques to help people notice unhelpful patterns and try new approaches. Mindfulness and dialectical behavior ideas come into sessions to build emotional regulation and stress management skills. She adapts tools to daily life so change feels possible between appointments.

Her background includes ten years providing individual therapy. That experience includes working with people facing chronic illness, caregiver stress, and motivation or confidence challenges. She identifies as an LGBTQ+ ally and pays attention to how culture shapes each person's situation.

People who reach out can expect a collaborative process. Marisela aims to tailor conversations and plans to the person in front of her. The focus is on practical steps toward a more satisfying routine and clearer relationships.

Using practical therapy approaches online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on helping people clarify their values and take steps toward them even when difficult thoughts or feelings show up. It is useful for coping with life changes, anxiety, and low mood. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors interact and teaches specific strategies to shift unhelpful patterns. CBT can help with depression, bipolar symptoms, sleep problems, and stress. Mindfulness Therapy brings attention practices into daily life to reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation, which supports issues like anger, grief, and caregiver fatigue.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before. Together they decide which tools to try first and adjust the plan over time based on progress and feedback.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video calls work well for in-depth conversations and skill practice. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a calmer voice-only check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging support quick check-ins, brief coaching, or ongoing reflections between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and varied routines.