Michael Hurd, LCSW - Therapist in South Carolina

Solution-focused
Strengths-based
Goal-oriented

About Michael

Michael Hurd is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 36 years of experience. He uses practical, solution-focused work to help people tackle stress, anxiety, addiction, relationship strain, and other common struggles. He describes himself as a thinking partner who coaches and guides rather than tells people what to do.

Sessions focus on what is happening now and on building strengths people already have. Childhood and background are discussed when they help the work, but the emphasis stays on present goals and actions. Michael aims to reduce self-defeating behaviors and increase steps that move a person forward.

He has written two books and many articles, and he has led radio and podcast conversations about mental health. That background supports a direct, pragmatic style that favors clear goals and measurable progress. He helps people work through issues such as grief, trauma, intimacy concerns, eating and sleep problems, parenting stress, and career strain.

Adoption and foster care concerns are listed among his focus areas and may be discussed alongside attachment, abandonment, and blended-family challenges. He also works with people facing chronic illness, caregiving stress, ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, and identity questions related to LGBT experiences.

Michael works from a strengths-based, goal-oriented perspective. He invites clients to identify practical steps they can take between sessions and to test what helps. To begin, the site matching process is used to pair people with his approach and schedule sessions according to availability.

How these approaches shape online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening, acceptance, and helping people find their own solutions; it supports work on identity, self-esteem, and relationship concerns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors interact and uses practical exercises to reduce anxiety, change unhelpful patterns, and improve mood.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to identify goals, try approaches that fit those goals, and adjust the plan based on what helps. This collaborative process means techniques can shift over time to match changing needs and priorities.

Confirm the session options before booking, as formats are arranged through the matching and scheduling process. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten travel time, and allow for check-ins that work around work or family commitments. It also lets people try interventions and homework between meetings and report back quickly, so progress can be tracked and adjusted regularly.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyAddictionsRelationship issuesSelf esteem Depression

Also works with

LGBTFamily conflictsTrauma and abuse GriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigue ADHD

Additional focus areas

Abandonment Adoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesBody imageCancerChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)Divorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issues Forgiveness Guilt and shameHIV / AIDSHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Solution-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

36+ years

Credentials

South Carolina, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, Virginia

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns can be brought to therapy?

Topics often addressed include stress, anxiety, addictions, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, parenting strain, and adoption and foster care related concerns.

What is the therapy style like in sessions?

The work is solution-focused and goal-oriented, with an emphasis on present problems and practical steps to change self-defeating patterns.

What experience does the therapist bring?

He brings 36 years of clinical experience, plus a background as an author and media host that informs a direct, coaching-oriented approach.

What are the therapist's credentials and where are they based?

He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and practices from South Carolina.

Are sessions offered in languages other than English?

Sessions are offered in English.

Can people outside the country work with this therapist?

International clients are accepted, so working across countries is possible depending on scheduling and matching.

How does payment and cost work?

Cost varies by location and depends on a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin the process?

Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

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