Therapy in East Lansing, Michigan
Life is not defined solely by where you have been. It is also shaped by where you are headed.
Many people in East Lansing find themselves navigating periods of growth, transition, and change. They may be pursuing education, building careers, developing relationships, raising families, recovering from difficult experiences, managing health concerns, or reimagining what they want the next chapter of life to look like.
Periods of growth can be exciting, meaningful, and full of possibility. They can also bring uncertainty, anxiety, self-doubt, grief, relationship challenges, and questions about identity and direction. Even positive changes can feel overwhelming when life no longer looks the way it once did.
At Heart and Mind Counseling, we provide specialized psychotherapy services to individuals in East Lansing and throughout Michigan. We help clients navigate trauma, chronic illness, anxiety, grief, relationship concerns, life transitions, and the emotional challenges that often accompany periods of personal growth and change.
Now accepting new clients. Call or request an appointment to get started.
A Community Focused on Learning, Growth, and Possibility
East Lansing is a community shaped by learning, discovery, and development. Home to Michigan State University, along with students, educators, researchers, healthcare professionals, young families, and long-term residents, it is a place where people are often building something new.
For some, that means pursuing a degree or beginning a career. For others, it means navigating a relationship, raising children, managing a chronic illness, recovering from trauma, or exploring a new sense of purpose and direction.
While growth can be rewarding, it can also create pressure. Many people find themselves asking:
- Am I moving in the right direction?
- Why do I feel anxious even when things seem to be going well?
- Why do I feel stuck between where I am and where I want to be?
- Why do I keep repeating the same patterns in relationships?
- How do I move forward after a difficult experience?
- What do I want my life to look like moving forward?
Therapy provides a space to explore those questions with greater clarity, self-awareness, and support.
When Life Is Changing
Many people seek therapy during times of transition.
Sometimes those transitions are expected, such as starting college, entering a new career, becoming a parent, relocating, or beginning a new relationship. Other times they arrive unexpectedly through loss, illness, trauma, relationship challenges, or major life changes.
Even when change is positive, it can create stress and uncertainty. Therapy can help you navigate those transitions with greater confidence while staying connected to your values, goals, and sense of self.
Reasons People Seek Therapy
We work with individuals experiencing:
- Anxiety and chronic stress
- Trauma and difficult life experiences
- Depression and emotional exhaustion
- Relationship concerns
- Grief and loss
- Life transitions and major changes
- Identity and self-esteem concerns
- Chronic illness and complex medical conditions
- Medical trauma and challenging healthcare experiences
- Academic and professional stress
- Emotional patterns that continue to interfere with daily life
Specialized Care Available to East Lansing Residents
Heart and Mind Counseling specializes in clinical work that often goes beyond what general therapy practices offer. Our practice is built around individuals facing complex experiences — trauma, the emotional weight of serious illness, presentations that haven’t responded to traditional therapy, and the kinds of work that benefit from dedicated training and clinical depth.
We work extensively with complex PTSD and long-standing trauma, including experiences that have been carried for many years without a clear space to be addressed. The work is paced thoughtfully, and the deeper material is approached only as trust and readiness allow.
For individuals living with chronic and complex illness, we provide therapy that specifically addresses the emotional and identity dimensions of long-term health management — including cancer, transplantation, autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, congenital heart disease, neurological conditions, chronic pain, and the cumulative weight of multiple conditions at once. If your specific condition isn’t named here, reach out — we likely either work with it regularly or have clinicians experienced in similar presentations.
We also work with individuals navigating grief, life transitions, caregiver fatigue, and the emotional impact of medical experiences for both patients and the families around them, along with those managing ADHD, OCD, complex anxiety, dissociative experiences, and eating disorders.
Trauma work is one of our practice’s deepest specializations. Our team includes multiple clinicians trained in EMDR (led by a Certified EMDR practitioner), a Brainspotting-trained clinician, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and a clinician certified in Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), with somatic approaches integrated throughout our trauma work.
Our clinical approaches include:
We welcome individuals across all relationship structures, backgrounds, and identities — including those in polyamorous relationships.
Therapy Throughout East Lansing and Mid-Michigan
We provide secure telehealth services throughout East Lansing and the surrounding Mid-Michigan region, allowing individuals to access specialized care from the privacy and convenience of their own homes.
In-person appointments may be available on a limited basis within Michigan when clinically appropriate.
Michigan Connection
We work with individuals throughout Michigan, allowing for continuity of care regardless of location.
Get Started
Now accepting new clients.
If you are located in East Lansing or elsewhere in Michigan and are looking for thoughtful, specialized support, we invite you to call or request an appointment online to get started.
When you reach out, you’ll speak directly with Deb Benoit, Practice Manager, who will help guide you through next steps and scheduling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does telehealth therapy work?
Telehealth sessions happen over a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform — much like a regular therapy session, just from wherever you feel most comfortable. You’ll get a private link before each appointment, and most clients tell us they actually prefer it: no commute, more privacy, and easier scheduling around real life.
Is therapy just as effective via telehealth as in person?
Yes. Research over the past decade has consistently shown that telehealth therapy is as effective as in-person care for most conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and complex trauma. For many people, it’s actually more sustainable long-term — easier to keep appointments, less disruption to daily life, and a sense of safety that comes from doing the work in your own space.
Can EMDR and Brainspotting be done via telehealth, and is it as effective as in person?
Yes — and this surprises a lot of people. Both EMDR and Brainspotting have been studied and adapted for telehealth delivery, and outcomes are comparable to in-person sessions when delivered by a trained clinician. Trauma work is one of our practice’s deepest specializations — our team includes multiple clinicians trained in EMDR (led by a Certified EMDR practitioner), a Brainspotting-trained clinician, a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and a clinician certified in Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), with somatic approaches integrated throughout our trauma work. This means we can match the right modality and clinician to what each person actually needs.
I’ve been meaning to work on some things, but I’m not in crisis — is therapy still worth it?
Many of our clients come to us during periods of growth, transition, or change — starting a new chapter, navigating a shift in identity or relationships, or wanting to move forward from experiences they’ve been carrying. Therapy isn’t only for people in crisis. It’s often most valuable for people who are ready to think intentionally about who they are becoming and want a dedicated space to work through the questions that come with change. Reaching out isn’t about fixing something broken — it’s about investing in where your life is going next.
Do you take Blue Cross Blue Shield and other Michigan insurance plans?
Yes. We’re in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Priority Health, and many other major insurance plans common in Michigan, and our panel is continually expanding. Michigan State University employees and Sparrow/UM Health-Sparrow staff are often covered under plans we accept. Students and graduate students often have coverage through parent plans or student health plans — when you reach out, our Practice Manager Deb Benoit can verify your specific plan and benefits before your first appointment, so there are no surprises. We also offer self-pay options for clients who prefer to keep therapy outside their insurance records.