Michael Schaal, M.S.W. is a highly experienced and skilled psychotherapist who places great value on facilitating processes that allow clients to meet their goals, always within appropriate ethical boundaries. For many years he has developed his specialization in the arena of relationships. These relationships are often between couples, within an individual, or between an individual and other people. Michael also has expertise in sex therapy.

Many of Michael’s psychotherapy clients are couples who are married, in civil unions, or in committed relationships. Michael also sees clients for individual psychotherapy, works with family relationships, and sometimes, facilitates psychotherapy groups.

Michael encourages clients to embrace their lives and to live fully and deeply. He encourages clients to consider how their internal experiences and their behaviors keep them stuck in their relationships and in their lives.

Over the years, the nature of psychotherapy has changed. With the advent of managed care mental health insurance, therapists and clients have been and continue to be pressured to resolve symptoms and focus on functioning in society. Sometimes this comes at the cost of taking the time and having the patience to genuinely resolve the issues that cause the symptoms in the first place.

It is for this reason that Michael does not participate as a provider in any managed care insurance panel. He insists that the psychotherapy relationship be between himself, as the therapist, and his clients, without interference from those who do not know the clients or the context of their lives. In this way, together, they can work as deeply and meaningfully as the work requires, attaining genuine change that sometimes is transformational.

Michael will work with the client at any level of depth that they wish to engage and at the same time create a space that is safe for them to challenge themselves, but not so safe as to be complacent, nor so frightening to preclude the exploration.

Michael strives to live from the “deepest places” and to effectively function while doing so. He believes that his psychotherapy practice with his clients contributes to the possibility that they can live from these “deepest places” as well. For Michael, psychotherapy is about the art of living.