Michael Valdes, LCSW
Licensed in Tennessee · 17 years in practice
Michael Valdes is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles.
License and registration
- LCSW, Tennessee
- 5691 · expires January 2027
- NPI
- 1841544178 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 17
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Michael
Michael Valdes is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles. He works with individuals dealing with addiction, grief, trauma, self-esteem concerns, and intimacy-related issues. Michael offers direct, practical support aimed at concrete change and clearer next steps.
He draws on 17 years of clinical experience in Tennessee and combines several proven approaches to match each person’s needs. Sessions focus on learning skills, spotting unhelpful patterns, and practicing new ways of coping between meetings.
Background and approach
Conversations stay grounded and focused on what’s most pressing for the client. Michael uses mindfulness and values-based work to help people tolerate difficult feelings and choose actions that matter to them. He also uses cognitive and behavioral techniques to shift thinking and behavior that cause distress.
When emotion regulation is central, he brings in strategies from dialectical behavior therapy to improve tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness. Clients who want a thoughtful, pragmatic therapist will find clear explanations and step-by-step plans in sessions. He pays attention to attachment, communication, and patterns that show up in relationships and life choices.
Therapy can include short-term skill work or deeper exploration depending on what the person wants. Michael holds an LCSW, which stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker. His work often covers a broad range of concerns including ADHD, bipolar issues, career changes, compassion fatigue, and complex grief.
He aims to make therapy understandable and useful for everyday life.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Michael lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Cancer
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Workplace issues
Approaches Michael names
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify what matters to them and take actions that match those values. It supports work on anxiety, depression, grief, and life changes by teaching acceptance of hard feelings and movement toward goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, focuses on identifying and changing thoughts and behaviors that feed problems. It is useful for anxiety, depression, addiction patterns, and coping skills by offering concrete tools and homework practice. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better communication skills to manage intense feelings and relationship challenges.Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively to choose methods that fit each person's goals, preferences, and day-to-day realities. That means trying practical exercises, reviewing what helps, and adjusting the plan together over time.
Online sessions can be done by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different needs. Video lets people use visual cues and longer conversations, phone works when bandwidth is limited, live chat supports shorter check-ins, and text messaging makes it easy to exchange notes or brief progress updates. These options add flexibility so therapy can fit work, caregiving, or travel schedules while keeping the focus on useful skills and real outcomes.
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Questions people ask
What kinds of problems can be addressed in sessions?
Sessions cover concerns such as anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, self-esteem, and stress. The list also includes ADHD, bipolar concerns, career strain, and compassion fatigue.
What is the therapist's general approach to therapy?
Michael blends client-centered conversation with evidence-informed methods like ACT, CBT, and DBT. The work focuses on skills, values clarification, and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
How much experience does the therapist have?
He has 17 years of clinical experience offering psychotherapy in Tennessee. That background informs a practical, results-oriented style.
What credentials and location are listed?
He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, abbreviated LCSW, and practices in Tennessee. The credential shown is TN LCSW.
Are sessions offered in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
Which session formats are available?
Therapy can be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and preferences.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. Specific pricing depends on those factors.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a session based on the therapist's availability.
More therapists in Tennessee
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