About Michael
I’m a licensed clinical social worker with specialty credentialing in compulsive sexual behavior and gambling disorder. My practice serves adult men whose behavioral addictions have progressed to the point of requiring specialty care, and who need the flexibility and discretion that telehealth provides.
My path into this specialty was deliberate rather than incidental. Behavioral addictions are clinically distinct from substance use disorders, and effective treatment requires training and experience specifically oriented to them. After more than a decade in residential leadership at some of the most established behavioral health programs in the country, I launched this practice to work directly with the clients and families I've spent my career learning how to help.
Background
Credentialing. I hold the Certified Sex Addiction Therapist – Supervisor (CSAT-S) credential from the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals, which authorizes me to both practice this specialty and supervise other clinicians pursuing CSAT certification. I also hold the Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor – I (ICGC-I) credential from the International Gambling Counselor Certification Board. The combination of active CSAT-S and ICGC-I credentialing is uncommon in the United States; most clinicians who work with behavioral addictions hold one specialty credential rather than both.
Residential leadership. Before launching this practice, I served in clinical roles at Gentle Path at The Meadows, The Ranch, and All Points North. These programs are among the most established residential providers in the behavioral health field, and the work there shaped my understanding of how behavioral addictions present clinically, how families are affected, and what kinds of treatment meaningfully help.
Licensure. I'm licensed as a clinical social worker in Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Texas, and Utah, and I provide telehealth to clients in each of these states.
Continuing professional involvement. I serve on the board of the American Foundation for Addiction Research (AFAR), present at national conferences on behavioral addiction topics, and maintain active membership in the National Council on Problem Gambling. I'm also currently pursuing doctoral studies in healthcare administration.
How I Work
I treat behavioral addictions as clinical conditions rather than as moral failures or failures of willpower. This framing matters, because shame is a core feature of how these disorders present, and the clinical frame is what allows meaningful treatment to begin.
My approach is clinical, evidence-informed, and organized around the recognition that behavioral addictions respond to serious specialty treatment in ways that general outpatient therapy often cannot provide. I draw from cognitive and behavioral approaches, motivational interviewing, and the specific treatment frameworks developed within the CSAT and ICGC traditions. When trauma is a factor in how a behavioral addiction developed, I integrate trauma-informed work as part of the broader treatment.
I also work within the broader context of a client's life. Behavioral addictions rarely exist in isolation. Co-occurring conditions, relational consequences, professional stakes, and family systems are all part of what treatment needs to address. Where appropriate, I collaborate with other providers in a client's care — including psychiatrists, primary care physicians, couples therapists, and referring professionals.
Who I Work With
My practice is focused on adult men whose behavioral addictions have progressed to the point of requiring specialty care. Most of my clients are high-functioning professionals — physicians, attorneys, executives, business owners, and others whose public roles can mask the severity of what's happening privately. For many of these clients, the barriers to traditional treatment are real: confidentiality concerns, time constraints, geographic considerations, and the difficulty of stepping away from demanding professional responsibilities.
I also work with clients who are stepping down from residential care and need specialty continuing treatment, clients who have attempted general outpatient therapy without meaningful progress, and clients whose families or professional advisors have identified a problem that the client is beginning to take seriously.
If any of this resonates, the first step is a short conversation to discuss what's happening and whether specialty care is the right fit.
Let's talk before you decide.
Consultations are 15 minutes, at no cost, and carry no obligation. We'll discuss what's going on, whether my practice is the right fit, and what a potential path forward might look like.