Mike Gallagher
One of my biggest passions is helping others overcome problems and giving back in a way I was helped. I’m a licensed therapist specializing in ISTDP, helping adults overcome anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction by quickly identifying and resolving the emotional patterns that drive symptoms.
I’m a licensed therapist specializing in ISTDP, helping adults overcome anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction by quickly identifying and resolving the emotional patterns that drive symptoms.
I offer compassionate, focused sessions that help you access core feelings, reduce distress, and build more effective ways of coping and relating.
First session
In your first session we’ll spend time getting to know you—your current struggles, history, and what you hope to change—so I can understand what’s keeping symptoms going. I’ll explain the my approach, answer your questions, and we’ll begin a gentle, active process to notice how you respond to difficult feelings and defenses that cause your symptoms while ensuring you feel safe and supported. Together we’ll set initial goals and agree on the pace, with clear steps for moving forward.
Strengths
I've done my own personal research in therapy. As an therapist with 12 years sober who has personally worked through depression and anxiety, I bring rare lived experience that deepens empathy, credibility, and practical understanding of how emotional pain drives both substance use and mood disorders. That lived knowledge helps me quickly recognize defensive patterns, tailor interventions for relapse prevention and mood regulation, and collaborate on realistic recovery goals. I combine compassionate, nonjudgmental support with focused techniques to help clients access core feelings, reduce symptoms, and build sustained resilience and healthier coping.
Ideal clients
I help adult clients make meaningful changes in how they feel, think, and react to life’s challenges. I specialize in easing anxiety and overwhelming pressure, lifting depression and low motivation, and I work collaboratively with you using practical, evidence-based strategies to build clearer coping, stronger relationships, and lasting relief. Many clients I collaborate with are facing difficulties in family relationships, at work or school, or can't seem to find the spark for life that they once had.
Treatment methods
Psychodynamic
I utilize a specific form of psychodynamic therapy, ISTDP (Intensive Short Term Psychodynamic Therapy) to help my clients. It's an active therapy that quickly uncovers and works through unconscious emotions and defenses causing anxiety, depression, or relationship problems. My goal is to help you safely experience and resolve core feelings to reduce symptoms and improve coping. I've been using this model since 2023 and participate in extensive training on a monthly basis to remain as effective as I can be.
EMDR
For clients who want to address specific trauma, I utilize EMDR Therapy. EMDR helps you process trauma and resolve symptoms from painful memories by safely inviting you to face the experience while following gentle side-to-side stimulation (like eye movements or taps). This makes the memory less distressing and helps your brain store it in a calmer, more helpful way so it affects you less in daily life. I have been using EMDR therapy since 2019 and completed formal training that year.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Serves
Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 8747