Connecting Heals clinical director and founder, Steven Gilpin, wearing a blue patterned shirt and a blue striped cardigan, standing in front of a brick wall.

ONLINE THERAPY • ANN ARBOR + ALL OF MICHIGAN

Steven Gilpin, LMSW

CLINICAL DIRECTROR & FOUNDER
MICHIGAN LICENSE: 6801106533
PRONOUNS: THEY/THEM & HE/HIM

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Hi, I’m Steven. I bring on therapists who show up as real people. Capable of both laughing and doing serious work in the same session.

My path into social work started with a deep commitment to volunteering and a recognition that the values at the core of this field matched my own: loyalty, truth-telling, and a fierce investment in the people around me. I've been doing clinical social work for over a decade, and my experience is not limited to a single setting or population.

I've worked across hospital and inpatient environments, K-12 schools as a certified school social worker, higher education, Partial Hospitalization Programs, prenatal and elder care, and complex medical systems.

As Clinical Director, I set the therapeutic approach and culture of the entire practice. The practice is 100% virtual, serving clients across all of Michigan, and we work with preteens, teens, adults, and elders. While I do occasionally accept a limited number of new clients, I also personally handle the referral and matchmaking process for everyone who reaches out to Connecting Heals.

I take that introduction seriously. If you're interested in working with me specifically, let me know when you reach out and I can share my current availability. Either way, you'll hear from me directly so we can connect you with the right fit on our team.

Education & Training

Degrees

  • Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
    University of Tennessee (in progress)

  • Master of Social Work (MSW)
    University of Michigan

  • Bachelor of Science in Psychology
    University of Michigan

Certifications & Competencies

  • Clinical Social Work Supervision Certificate
    NASW Michigan Chapter

  • Professional School Social Worker Certificate (PSWC)
    State of Michigan

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Ego State Therapy

  • The Ziggurat Model

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Our Approach

We Are Not Blank-Slate Therapists

A blank-slate therapist stays carefully neutral. No opinions, no personality, and minimal self-disclosure. For some clients in some contexts, that works fine. But for people who have spent years feeling unseen or misunderstood, talking to someone who gives nothing back can feel isolating, and it is a model that simply does not work for many individuals.

Our clinicians at Connecting Heals are real people. They bring genuine warmth and real reactions into the room. They will tell you what they are noticing. They will ask for your permission before going somewhere heavy. They will laugh with you when something is absurd and be serious with you when it is not.

This matters because the research is clear: the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of good outcomes in therapy.

A therapist who is present, responsive, and genuinely engaged is not a distraction from the clinical work, it is the clinical work.

Therapy Modalties

Our practice is built on a foundation of proven, evidence-based tools and techniques. We select the right approach based on your unique needs so you never feel like you are being forced into a one-size-fits-all box. 

For you, this means you do not need to arrive with a deep understanding of these modalities or know which one is right for you. Simply know that whatever you are navigating, we have a specialized approach to help and the flexibility to pivot between methods as your sessions progress and your needs evolve.

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a skills-based therapy that balances acceptance with change to help individuals navigate intense emotional experiences. It directly teaches practical coping skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess and integrate traumatic memories that are stored in a stuck way. This approach works directly with the brain's natural processing system to reduce the emotional charge of trauma. It allows healing to happen efficiently without requiring clients to verbally narrate every painful detail.

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a specific type of cognitive therapy developed to treat PTSD by targeting unhelpful beliefs formed from trauma. It focuses on identifying and challenging stuck points regarding safety, trust, and self-worth to create a more balanced understanding of what happened.

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, goal-oriented approach built on the idea that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. By identifying and challenging unhelpful thought patterns, clients learn practical, transferable skills to respond to situations in healthier ways.

  • Ego State Therapy views the mind as a collection of distinct parts or states, each with its own history, feelings, and protective functions. Rather than forcing integration, this approach helps these parts communicate, reduce internal conflict, and work together.

  • The Ziggurat Model is an intervention planning framework specifically designed to build supports that match how an autistic individual's brain works. Built on five foundational levels including sensory needs and task demands, it provides a genuinely different, non-pathologizing approach to autism-informed care.

Ready to Get Started?

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