- Years in practice
- 40
- Credentials
- LMSW
- Licensed in
- Michigan
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- LGBT
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Grief
About Rell
Rell Spickerman is a licensed master social worker with four decades of counseling experience. He combines pastoral experience, hospice chaplaincy, and long practice as a mental health counselor to support people facing major life changes. He works from Michigan and communicates in English.
Rell aims to be a guide rather than an expert who tells people what to do. Sessions are conversational and practical. He uses humor and steady encouragement to help people move past resistance and try new steps.
Background and approach
His background includes bereavement work as a hospice chaplain and mediation skills used in parenting decisions during divorces. That experience informs how he helps people navigate grief, end-of-life matters, and family problem-solving. Rell has long used cognitive behavioral ideas and rational emotive approaches to help with anxiety, depression, anger, and addictive behaviors.
He also draws on narrative and solution-focused methods to reframe problems and set reachable goals. He has a particular interest in LGBT concerns influenced by his transgender grandson's journey, and he supports people wrestling with identity, gender dysphoria, and related family tensions. Parenting is among the areas he lists, so he helps parents manage stress, boundary-setting, and family conflict.
Rell also brings career planning and life-work transition skills to sessions for people considering job changes or new directions. He describes himself as non-judgmental and values unconditional positive regard while encouraging practical choices and risk-taking.
What Rell works with
Everything Rell lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Rell helps people with.
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Commitment issues
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
Approaches Rell lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches for online parenting and life changes
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small actions toward those values despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It is useful for anxiety, stress, and coping with life changes.Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes an open, non-judgmental relationship where the therapist listens and reflects so the person can discover their own solutions. This approach supports people who need acceptance and encouragement while they sort through identity, grief, or parenting challenges.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing new behaviors. It is often applied to depression, anxiety, anger, and addictive behaviors and aims to produce practical changes in day-to-day life.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and the issue at hand, then recommend or blend methods that seem most helpful. The plan can change over time as needs evolve.
Online sessions offer practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction for deeper conversation, phone sessions can fit a short break at work or require less bandwidth, and live chat or text messaging suit quick check-ins or people who prefer typing. These options make it easier to attend sessions around caregiving, work, or travel while keeping therapy consistent.
Questions people ask about Rell
What concerns does Rell address?
He works with a wide range of issues including anxiety, depression, grief, addictions, relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting, stress, career questions, trauma, and eating and bipolar-related issues.
What is his therapy style like?
Sessions are conversational and practical. He uses a guiding, non-judgmental approach with humor and encouragement to help people try new steps.
How much experience does he have?
He brings 40 years of experience combining work as a parish pastor, hospice chaplain, mental health counselor, and divorce mediator.
What credentials and location apply?
He holds an MI LMSW, which means a Michigan Licensed Master Social Worker, and practices from Michigan.
Which languages are supported and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
In what formats are sessions offered?
He provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different scheduling and communication needs.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability. Sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What do I do to begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule based on the therapist's availability.
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