Laverne Santangelo , LPC

Laverne Santangelo is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Michigan who blends clinical training with lived experience to support people facing a range of emotional and behavioral challenges. She holds an LPC credential, which means she is authorized to provide professional counseling services in Michigan, and she has expanded her skill set as a certified Wholistic Life Coach and Yoga Teacher, including certification in Trauma-Informed Yoga. A veteran who retired from the Army National Guard after 23 years of honorable service, she brings an informed perspective on military and caregiver stress to her clinical work.

Laverne draws on a background of work in inpatient substance use treatment, community mental health, and group facilitation to address issues such as addiction, mood disorders, trauma and abuse, relationship and family concerns, grief, and life transitions. Her own experiences with mental health challenges and growing up around loved ones with addiction inform a compassionate, stigma-aware approach to care. She has worked closely with women processing shame, guilt, and forgiveness after abortion and has supported families in understanding and responding to substance use.

Using person-centered planning, Laverne collaborates with clients to build individualized treatment plans and meets people where they are in their journey. She integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, motivational interviewing, and holistic techniques to help clients develop practical coping skills, clarify goals, and pursue greater balance across mind, body, and spirit. In addition to counseling, she offers life coaching to support personal growth and goal achievement.

Clinical approaches and how online therapy works

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening, empathy, and collaboration. The therapist creates a respectful space that helps clients explore their values, gain self-understanding, and work through life transitions or relational concerns. This approach is helpful for people seeking validation, improved self-esteem, or clarity about next steps.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches clients to identify unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and to practice new skills that reduce anxiety, depression, and mood-related symptoms. It is often used for stress management, anxiety, depression, and coping with cravings or relapse triggers in addiction work.

Motivational Interviewing is a practical, nonjudgmental method for resolving ambivalence about change. It supports people who are considering shifts in behavior, such as cutting back on substances, improving routines, or pursuing treatment goals.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Laverne works collaboratively with clients to tailor methods to each person’s needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting strategies over time as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules, maintain continuity during life transitions, and access care from different locations, while still engaging in focused therapeutic work with a licensed professional.