Rell Spickerman, LMSW

Rell Spickerman is a licensed master social worker who has balanced two careers for decades: parish pastor and mental health counselor. He draws on four decades of experience to help people facing loss, difficult life changes, and relationship or identity questions. His Michigan practice emphasizes practical steps and steady support rather than jargon or lectures.

He says his role is to be a guide by the side, not a sage on the stage. Sessions focus on clear, usable strategies people can try between meetings. He listens without judgment and uses gentle humor to ease resistance to change.

Rell's work has included hospice chaplaincy and bereavement counseling, and he has supported people navigating LGBT concerns motivated in part by his family experience. He has also used dispute management skills in mediation to help parents make decisions about child welfare. These varied roles inform how he frames decisions, grief work, and end-of-life concerns.

His clinical tools draw from cognitive behavioral approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, narrative techniques, and solution-focused methods. He also notes experience with rational emotive methods, anger management, life planning, and brief uses of Ericksonian hypnotherapy and healing storytelling. Those approaches are applied in plain language to daily problems.

People who prefer straightforward, practical guidance tend to fit well with his style. Sessions aim to identify next steps, manage strong emotions, and build routines that support recovery and growth. Rell emphasizes honesty, patience, and encouragement as central to the work he offers.

Approach-focused online therapy that fits everyday life

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages noticing thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choosing actions that match personal values. It can help with grief, stress, identity questions, and coping with major life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions, and uses simple experiments to reduce symptoms like anxiety or depression. Solution-Focused Therapy highlights small, practical steps and past successes to build momentum toward clearer goals.

Deciding which approach to use is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has helped before. Together they tailor methods and try approaches that seem most useful, adjusting as progress is made.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the session formats offered before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit meetings into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Some people find phone or video sessions help keep momentum between in-person steps while others prefer fewer, longer conversations; Rell will discuss what rhythm works best for practical progress.