Michael Cummings, LCSW

Michael Cummings is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Kentucky who brings two decades of clinical experience to his practice. He grew up and has spent most of his life in the Appalachian region, with a brief period working in Knoxville, and he draws energy from living near the mountains and spending time outdoors.

His therapeutic style is warm, open, encouraging, and direct. He tailors treatment to each person by drawing on a range of evidence-based methods and adapts his approach to the needs of the situation. Michael describes himself as an active therapist who blends professional experience, education, creativity, and a sense of humor with a down-to-earth, realistic attitude toward counseling.

Michael’s areas of specialized practice include depression, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, stress management, adjustment to life changes, trauma and abuse, grief and bereavement, substance use issues, sleep disturbances, parenting challenges, and self-esteem work. He also addresses intimacy-related issues, anger, compassion fatigue, and communication problems, and supports clients working through guilt, shame, life purpose questions, and social anxiety.

He uses an integrative set of clinical approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness Therapy. For couples and family matters he incorporates behavioral family therapy techniques. For substance use concerns he applies the S.M.A.R.T. recovery framework, and for sleep difficulties he utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) when appropriate.

Michael’s background includes service on an Institutional Review Board for a federal government agency, work as a Kentucky Board of Social Work Clinical Supervisor, and roles as a healthcare ethics consultant. He spent 13 years providing clinical care with federal and state government programs serving military veterans and their families, and he has two years of experience as a bereavement counselor for hospice. He is currently accepting clients, including international clients.