Toni Hernalsteen, LMSW

Toni Hernalsteen is a licensed Michigan social worker with 17 years of professional experience supporting individuals, couples, and groups through a range of life challenges. She holds an LMSW, which denotes a Licensed Master Social Worker, and an additional credential as a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CAADC) in Michigan, reflecting specialized training in substance use treatment and recovery.

Toni brings a creative, solutions-focused style to therapy, often thinking outside the box to uncover motivation and help clients persist through difficult changes. Her clinical work covers stress and anxiety, addictions, grief and loss, depression, relationship and family concerns, aging, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, sleep difficulties, parenting, anger, self-esteem, career transitions, and coping with life changes.

Her therapeutic toolkit includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, along with client-centered and family systems approaches. She has also received additional training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Motivational Interviewing, and mindfulness techniques, and draws from these methods to match interventions to each person's needs.

Toni emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in her work. She listens actively and collaborates with clients to tailor dialogue and treatment plans to individual goals. She aims to create a supportive space for reflection and growth, and she acknowledges the courage it takes to begin therapy.

Therapeutic approaches and online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps clients clarify their values and take committed steps toward a meaningful life even while difficult thoughts and feelings are present. It is useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and issues that involve avoidance or unhelpful coping patterns.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By identifying and shifting unhelpful thinking and practicing new coping skills, CBT can help with anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and stress-related concerns.

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, active listening, and a nonjudgmental stance to help people explore their experiences and build self-understanding. This approach supports clients working through relationship challenges, transitions, grief, and identity issues.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Toni works collaboratively with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences and will tailor methods from these approaches to create a practical plan that fits the client.

Online sessions offer flexibility in how therapy fits into daily life. Video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging allow clients to connect from home or other convenient locations, accommodate varied schedules, and maintain continuity of care when in-person meetings are not possible. Licensed professionals can adapt tools and exercises to work well across these different formats.