Offering outdoor Nature Informed Therapy and telehealth sessions

Michael Grassa is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who values individualized, person-centered psychotherapy where the therapeutic relationship is the catalyst for change, growth, and healing.  Michael has worked with varying age groups across residential, in-home, and outpatient settings.  Michael specializes in treating adolescents, young adults, and adults struggling with OCD, depression, anxiety, trauma, self-esteem issues, relationship challenges, and difficult life circumstances.  In collaboration with each client, Michael draws upon techniques from Compassion-Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Existential Therapy.  Michael hopes that his genuine, open, and accepting approach to therapy will help his clients live a more meaningful, authentic, and self-compassionate life. 

Michael’s counseling services can also include elements of Nature Informed Therapy. Nature Informed Therapy is a form of counseling that integrates the healing properties of the natural world into mental health treatment. Michael believes that taking therapy goals into an outdoor environment can augment and amplify the therapeutic process. He provides this counseling service on select days/times in natural settings around the Wakefield and Andover areas (e.g., Goldsmith Woodlands or Breakheart Reservation). Sessions last 53 minutes, however clients are welcome to continue walking the trails for further reflection after the session. Prior to scheduling a nature session, Michael will plan with you in detail the logistics of an outdoor meeting during a telehealth intake appointment. If you are interested in exploring this unique option, Michael would be thrilled to explore this with you. Many years of research has shown overwhelming support for the health benefits of spending time in the natural world. If you’re interested in learning more about how to harness the powers of nature, check out Michael’s blog post on NIT.

In his free time, Michael enjoys reading, basketball (watching and playing), boxing, hiking, watching movies, and practices mindfulness meditation regularly.