Therapy in Bay City, Michigan
Some places become part of who we are.
The neighborhoods we grow up in. The traditions we share. The people we see year after year. The communities that help shape our values, our relationships, and our sense of belonging.
Bay City is a community where those connections often matter deeply.
From its historic neighborhoods and riverfront to its long-standing traditions, community events, and multi-generational families, Bay City has a strong sense of place. Many people feel connected not only to the people around them, but also to the history, culture, and community that have helped shape their lives.
At the same time, the things that connect us can also become the places where life’s challenges are felt most deeply.
Grief, family changes, relationship difficulties, caregiving responsibilities, chronic illness, trauma, and major life transitions often affect more than one person. They can ripple through families, friendships, and communities in ways that are difficult to navigate alone.
At Heart and Mind Counseling, we provide specialized psychotherapy services to individuals in Bay City and throughout Michigan. We help clients navigate trauma, anxiety, grief, chronic illness, relationship concerns, life transitions, and the emotional challenges that arise when the connections that matter most are affected.
Now accepting new clients. Call or request an appointment to get started.
Belonging Matters
Many people in Bay City have deep roots.
Some come from families who have lived in the area for generations. Others have chosen Bay City because of its strong sense of community, historic character, and welcoming atmosphere. Regardless of how long someone has lived here, many residents share a desire to feel connected to something larger than themselves.
Those connections can be powerful sources of support, identity, and resilience.
They can also create challenges.
People may find themselves balancing family expectations, navigating changing relationships, coping with losses, caring for loved ones, or adjusting to life circumstances that affect how connected they feel to others.
Therapy provides a place to explore those experiences while remaining grounded in the relationships, values, and communities that matter most.
When Life Changes the Relationships Around You
Many people seek therapy not because they lack strength, but because something important in their lives has changed.
A loss. A health diagnosis. A relationship transition. A family conflict. A major life event.
These experiences often affect our sense of stability and belonging. They can leave people feeling disconnected from themselves, from others, or from the life they once expected.
Therapy can help individuals process those experiences, strengthen resilience, and create healthier ways of moving forward.
A Community Built Through Connection
One of Bay City’s greatest strengths is its sense of community.
The city’s traditions, neighborhoods, local events, and shared experiences create opportunities for people from different backgrounds and generations to come together. Those connections contribute to the sense of identity and belonging that many residents value.
At Heart and Mind Counseling, we recognize that emotional well-being does not exist in isolation. Our relationships, families, communities, and experiences all influence how we navigate life’s challenges.
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 Bay City 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 Bay City clients are receiving care through McLaren Bay Region 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:
We welcome individuals across all relationship structures, backgrounds, and identities — including those in polyamorous relationships.
Therapy Throughout Bay City and the Great Lakes Bay Region
Heart and Mind Counseling provides specialized therapy services to individuals throughout Bay City and the surrounding Great Lakes Bay Region.
Services are primarily provided through secure telehealth, making specialized care more accessible regardless of location. Limited in-person services may be available in Michigan based on clinician availability, location, and clinical appropriateness.
Whether you are navigating a difficult season of life, processing past experiences, managing a chronic illness, or facing challenges within relationships that matter deeply to you, our clinicians are committed to helping you find meaningful support, healing, and growth.
Because a sense of belonging is important — and you deserve support when life challenges the connections that help shape who you are.
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 Bay City 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 always felt supported by the people around me. Why would therapy add something different?
Many of our clients come from communities where relationships and connection are deeply valued — family, friends, neighbors, faith communities, long-standing traditions. Those connections are real strengths and often carry people through difficult times. Therapy is not a replacement for the relationships that shape your life. It’s a different kind of space — one focused entirely on your own experiences, with a trained clinician who can help with challenges that benefit from confidential, specialized attention. Trauma, grief, chronic stress, and complex emotional experiences often need dedicated tools that even the most supportive communities cannot fully provide. Reaching out isn’t a sign that your connections aren’t enough. It’s a sign that you’re honoring both the people who support you and your own well-being.
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 Bay Region staff, Delta College employees, and other Bay City-area 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.