Michael Perkins, LCSW

Michael Perkins is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with two decades of clinical counseling experience. He practices in Missouri and focuses on practical help for stress, anxiety, relationship and parenting concerns. He emphasizes building on what is already working in a person’s life while addressing difficult changes and emotional pain.

He uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. He also integrates mindfulness to strengthen awareness and calm, and draws on client-centered principles that keep the person's goals central. Sessions may include short exercises to practice between meetings.

Perkins has extensive teaching experience in social work and human services, which informs a straightforward, educational style in sessions. He often offers reading or activities as homework to reinforce skills learned during meetings. People are invited to define their goals and move at a pace that fits them.

Common issues he addresses include coping with life transitions, family conflict, parenting struggles, low self-esteem, anger, and career stress. He also works with trauma and abuse recovery, ADHD, bipolar concerns, compassion fatigue, and intimacy-related difficulties.

Michael emphasizes collaboration and respect for each person’s strengths. He helps people frame practical steps they can try between sessions and reflects on progress as therapy continues.

How his approaches shape online therapy options

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following the person's goals, letting the therapist support whatever matters most to the client. This approach helps when someone needs a respectful space to sort out priorities and feel heard.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches specific skills to notice and change thoughts and behaviors that cause distress. It is useful for anxiety, stress, low mood, and many everyday problems because it breaks issues into manageable steps.

Mindfulness Therapy builds simple attention and calming practices to reduce reactivity and improve focus. These techniques are commonly used alongside other approaches to help manage stress and build steadier responses to challenges.

Finding the right mix of methods is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the person to decide which approaches fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That process can include trying short exercises or homework to see what helps most.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session options before booking since formats are not listed here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so people can schedule meetings around work or family obligations.