- Years in practice
- 36
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- South Carolina, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, Virginia
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Addictions
- Focus
- Relationship issues
About Michael
Michael Hurd is a licensed clinical social worker with 36 years of experience. He uses a practical, solution-focused style and acts as a thinking partner to help people move forward. His approach looks for strengths and practical changes rather than getting stuck on labels.
He concentrates on present-day problems and sets clear goals with each person he sees. Background and childhood are discussed only when they help solve what is happening now.
Background and approach
Sessions aim to identify and reduce self-defeating behaviors and build on things that already work in daily life. Michael has worked with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction concerns, grief, and parenting challenges. He also addresses relationship and intimacy-related issues, self-esteem, career strain, and coping with life changes.
Additional concerns he has experience with include ADHD, trauma and abuse, chronic illness and pain, codependency, and body image. Over his career he has written books, articles, and hosted media programs about mental health and practical coping. That background informs a coaching-oriented style where reasoned thinking and concrete steps guide sessions.
He prefers short-term, goal-directed work but can adapt to what a person needs. Clients come to him for direct discussion, practical strategies, and steady support while they try new behaviors. The focus is on simple, doable changes that fit each person’s life and priorities.
What Michael works with
Everything Michael lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Michael helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Depression
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Michael lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Approach-driven online therapy that focuses on solutions
Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and responding to each person's experience. The therapist aims to understand where a person is coming from and follow their lead to build goals and change that feel realistic. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical techniques to shift unhelpful patterns; this can help with anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems.Finding the right method is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has or has not worked before. That conversation guides whether sessions lean more on client-centered listening, CBT skills, or a mix so the plan fits the person's needs and pace.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and situations. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and skill practice, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or for a simpler check-in, and chat or messaging can be useful for quick coaching, brief reflections, or ongoing support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, parenting, and travel demands while keeping the focus on practical change.
Questions people ask about Michael
What kinds of concerns does he help with?
He works with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, parenting challenges, relationship concerns, grief, and many life transitions.
How would you describe his therapy style?
He uses a solution-focused, goal-oriented style and emphasizes practical steps and strengths rather than labels.
What is his professional background?
He has 36 years of clinical experience and has authored books and many articles about mental health and coping.
Where is he based and what are his credentials?
He practices from South Carolina and holds the credential LCSW with NV LCSW and VA LCSW noted.
Can I meet with him if I live outside the United States?
International clients are accepted and sessions can be arranged across time zones.
What session formats are available?
Sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How are sessions paid for?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What do I do to begin therapy?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a time based on therapist availability.
More therapists for parents in South Carolina
All in South Carolina
Danielle Doskocil
LPC, LCMHC
South Carolina 24 years in practice
Practical, direct support for parents and caregivers
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Family
South Carolina 16 years in practice
Support for parents and relationship stress
- Relationship
- Family
- Trauma and abuse
Jennifer Malkin
LPC
South Carolina 20 years in practice
Calm, practical support for stressed parents
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship