Michael Finnegan

I'm a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York with over a decade of experience helping thoughtful adults work through anxiety, trauma, grief, and spiritual exhaustion. Many of my clients have tried to outthink their pain, and found that insight alone doesn't reach where it hurts most. They're not merely looking for symptom management — they want to understand themselves honestly, live in a way that matches what they actually believe, and make sense of what they've been through. My approach is integrative — not in the sense of mixing techniques, but in the deeper sense of treating symptoms as connected to how a person makes sense of their life. In my experience, anxiety, trauma, and grief rarely resolve through technique alone; lasting change tends to involve a person's habits, sense of meaning, and relationships, alongside the symptoms themselves. Within that framework I draw on CBT, ACT, EMDR, IFS, Schema, Ego State, existential, and Polyvagal-informed approaches — matched to what actually helps you, not a fixed formula. Therapy with me is honest, reflective, and practical — with room for humor, too. We slow down enough to notice what's really happening inside you, make sense of old wounds, and build the habits of mind and heart that make genuine resilience possible. Healing isn't a permanent, trouble-free calm; it's meeting life's difficulties with more steadiness and clarity than before — not just coping, but lasting change in how you understand yourself and live. Clients describe our work as equal parts insight and action, anchored in deep respect for the human person and the conviction that suffering is intelligible — that what you're carrying makes sense, and that more is possible than you may currently believe. I work from a worldview that honors dignity, conscience, and the quiet possibility of growth. For clients who want it, I also offer explicitly Christian Counseling — faith integrated directly into the clinical work rather than set alongside it. This is entirely optional; every client is met on the terms they bring. I believe healing often begins when we stop running from our pain and learn to meet it with clarity, courage, and grace. If you feel stuck but sense there's more to become, I'd be honored to walk with you.