Therapy in Petoskey, Michigan
In Petoskey, relationships often matter deeply.
Family connections, friendships, community involvement, and long-standing traditions play an important role in many people’s lives. The close-knit nature of the community can be a source of comfort, support, and belonging.
It can also make life’s challenges more complicated.
When grief, trauma, anxiety, chronic illness, relationship difficulties, caregiving responsibilities, or major life changes occur, the people we care about most are often affected as well. Many individuals find themselves balancing their own needs while also trying to support everyone around them.
At Heart and Mind Counseling, we provide specialized psychotherapy services to individuals in Petoskey and throughout Michigan. We help clients navigate trauma, chronic illness, anxiety, grief, relationship concerns, life transitions, and the emotional challenges that arise when life’s most important relationships are impacted.
Now accepting new clients. Call or request an appointment to get started.
The Connections That Matter
Petoskey is a community where many people value connection.
Whether through family, friendships, faith communities, neighborhood relationships, or long-standing traditions, people often feel deeply connected to the place they live and the people who share it with them.
Those connections can be tremendous sources of strength.
At the same time, strong connections can create pressure. Many individuals find themselves prioritizing the needs of others while postponing their own. Others struggle to set healthy boundaries, navigate changing family dynamics, or cope with losses that affect entire networks of people.
Therapy provides a space to focus on your own needs while remaining connected to the relationships that matter most.
When Caring for Others Becomes Exhausting
Many people seek therapy because they have spent years supporting others.
They may be caring for aging parents, supporting a spouse, helping adult children, managing family responsibilities, or navigating the emotional impact of a loved one’s illness or loss.
Over time, even the strongest support systems can become strained.
Therapy helps individuals strengthen resilience, process difficult emotions, and develop healthier ways of caring for themselves while remaining present for the people they love.
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
- Caregiver stress
- Major life transitions
- Chronic illness and complex medical conditions
- Medical trauma and challenging healthcare experiences
- Identity and self-esteem concerns
- Emotional patterns that continue to interfere with daily life
Specialized Care Available to Petoskey 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.
Many of our Petoskey clients are receiving care through McLaren Northern Michigan or other Michigan health systems and are looking for therapy that understands the emotional weight of managing serious health conditions.
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:
EMDR Brainspotting Somatic Therapy DBT CBT Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Medication Management Available Our on-staff Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) provides medication management, allowing therapy and psychiatric care to be coordinated within the same practice — no referrals needed.
We welcome individuals across all relationship structures, backgrounds, and identities — including those in polyamorous relationships.
Therapy Throughout Petoskey and Northern Michigan
Whether you are managing a difficult season of life, supporting loved ones through challenges, processing past experiences, or seeking a healthier path forward, our clinicians are committed to helping you find meaningful support, healing, and growth.
Services are primarily provided through secure telehealth, making specialized care accessible without extensive travel. In-person appointments may be available on a limited basis within Michigan when clinically appropriate.
Because caring for the people who matter most starts with caring for yourself as well.
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 Petoskey 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 focused on taking care of others for so long — is therapy really for me?
Many of our clients are people who have spent years supporting others — a spouse, aging parents, adult children, close friends, or an entire family and community network. Over time, even the strongest support systems get strained, and even the most dedicated caregivers benefit from having a space that’s entirely their own. Therapy is not selfish. It’s a form of care that ultimately makes you more able to be present for the people you love. Prioritizing your emotional well-being is not something you do instead of caring for others — it’s part of how you keep caring for them well.
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. McLaren Northern Michigan staff and Northern Michigan professionals are often covered under plans we accept. 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.