Michael is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervisory Designation (LPCC-S) in the state of Ohio and certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist (DBTC) in Canton, Ohio. Michael obtained his masters degree in clinical mental health counseling from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and is co-owner of the small business private practice, The Wellife, LLC, in Canton, Ohio. He has worked and served in the mental health field for the past ten years and has experience working with at-risk transitional youth, severe and pervasive mental illness (SPMI), dual-diagnosis, emotion regulation, LGBTQI+ populations, and facilitating expressive group programming in mental health inpatient settings. He has held several positions for executive counseling organizations such as president of the East Ohio Counseling Association (EOCA), the Ohio Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values on Counseling (OASERVIC) from 2019-2020, the Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Association of Ohio (SAIGE-O) from 2016-2017, an emerging leader of SAIGE from 2017-2018, and the Ohio Counseling Association (OCA) membership committee from 2016-2018. He currently serves as chair of the BH Providers Insurance Advocacy Committee of OCA, secretary of the Ohio Association for Counselors in Private Practice (OACPP), and member of the ACA Branch Development committee. Michael has provided over 50+ presentations at national, state, and local venues on several topics including emotion regulation and mood disorders, affirmative therapy, leadership, and pedagogy practices for LGBTQI+ populations, and wellness. He has published on Affirmative Therapy, Wellness, and Leadership. Michael has also been awarded the Charles Chuck Weaver (2021) and Professional Leadership (2024) state awards of Ohio for distinguished service to the profession.