Michael Mitchell, LCSW-R
I am a NYC-based Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing psychotherapy from a Gestalt and Somatic perspective. I work with adults in individual therapy interested in addressing issues like depression and anxiety, life transitions, trauma, grief and loss, self identity, stress, and relational intimacy. I also work with couples to explore and develop the capacity for flexibility and intimacy within their relationship.The first questions I am often asked when I introduce myself are what is Gestalt and why did you become a Gestalt therapist?”

Gestalt Therapy is a process-oriented therapy that uses the power of experience in the present moment as its foundation. (For more in-depth information on Gestalt Therapy, please check out my What is… page.) By focusing on the present experience in a session, I find that there is a wonderful opportunity to really understand and effectively work with the dilemmas my client is dealing with.

My style as a therapist is warm and interactive. I bring my curiosity, honesty, and humanity to the therapeutic relationship. I believe therapy is a collaboration between you and me. We work together to uncover how your history and habits shape your present experience and develop awareness of how that interferes with or supports your potential to function more flexibly and authentically in your own healthy way.

After close to two decades of practicing psychotherapy I continue to get excited over the impact of working this way—experiencing my clients breaking out of stuck places, becoming more aware of new possibilities, finding a growing sense of self-understanding and self-regulation, and more satisfying deeper connections with others. I’ve found Gestalt Therapy effective with the full spectrum of life issues that make up the human condition.

In addition to practicing, supervising, and teaching Gestalt Therapy, I have experience working with a full range of mental health issues grounded in more than a decade working in outpatient community mental health settings as a clinician, supervisor, and clinic director.

Clinical Training

  • MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work
  • Certificate in Gestalt Therapy from Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy
  • Certificate in Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy from The Center for Somatic Studies
  • 1st-year certificate in Somatic Experiencing from the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute

Teaching & Supervision

  • Certificate in Training Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy with Dr. Ruella Frank’s NYC-based 2-year training program
  • Past faculty mentee and co-supervisor with Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy’s postgraduate training program
  • Trainer for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk day-long workshop for mental health providers