Therapist profile
Rell Spickerman, LMSW
LMSW focused on family and parenting concerns
Continue with RellAbout
- LGBT issues
- Grief support
- Cognitive behavioral work
About Rell
Rell Spickerman is a Michigan-licensed LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) with forty years of clinical and pastoral experience. He has worked as a parish pastor, a hospice chaplain offering bereavement support, and a mental health counselor. His listed concerns include relationship strain, grief, LGBT issues, parenting pressures, anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, and career transitions.
Spickerman favors straightforward, practical work. He describes his role as a guide rather than an expert who tells people what to do. Sessions often focus on concrete steps, behavior change, and finding workable solutions that fit a person's daily life. He uses humor and a direct listening style to lower resistance to change.
His clinical methods include cognitive behavioral approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, client-centered work, narrative techniques, and solution-focused methods. He also draws on experience from hospice chaplaincy and mediation to help people talk through end-of-life concerns, bereavement, blended family pressures, and separation questions.
Spickerman notes experience with anger management, career planning, rational emotive approaches, and modest exposure to Ericksonian hypnotherapy and healing storytelling. He often combines ideas from different approaches to address a problem in practical steps. This can include breaking down stressful routines, identifying unhelpful thoughts, and trying small experiments between sessions.
He works in plain language and aims to offer steady, nonjudgmental listening. People who want direct feedback, practical tools, and a pragmatic companion for life changes may find his style fits their needs.
How sessions work
Therapeutic approaches used and how they work online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that align with personal values. It can help with anxiety, depression, grief, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and uses focused exercises to change patterns that cause distress. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, anger, and coping with everyday stress. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening, respect, and allowing a person to set the pace and goals for their work together.Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work collaboratively to decide which combination of methods fits the client's needs, goals, and preferences. That might mean trying a behavioral experiment one week and narrative work the next, then checking what helped and adjusting the plan.
The biography does not specify session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into busy days, shorten travel time, and allow brief check-ins when a full in-person visit would be hard to schedule. They can also make it simpler to continue work between appointments by leaving short tasks or experiments to try during the week.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
40+ years
Listed in
Michigan
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of family and parenting concerns are addressed?
The profile lists family, parenting, blended family issues, divorce and separation, and family of origin problems among the concerns he works with. These areas are described as part of his overall practice focus.
How would you describe his therapeutic style?
He uses a practical, guide-by-the-side approach that focuses on concrete steps and behavior change. Humor and direct listening are part of his day-to-day style.
How much clinical experience does he have?
He has forty years of combined experience across pastoral care, hospice chaplaincy, mediation, and mental health counseling.
What credential and location are listed?
He holds an LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) and practices in Michigan.
In which language are sessions offered and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How does cost work for sessions?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin working together?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.