Michael Howard, EdD
LMFT, LPCS, LCAS, NCC, CCMHC, MAC, CSAT-S, BCPCC

Hi! I am Dr. Michael Howard, Executive Director and founder of Healing Solutions Counseling Center, PLLC. I would like to welcome you to our website and to our facility.

Reagrdless of why you are seeking counseling or the specific things you may be dealing with, we promise to treat you with dignity and respect. Our goal to provide you with the highest quality care possible. Stefanie, Kelly, and I are experienced therapists who want to assist you in overcoming the difficult, and perhaps overwhelming challenges you are currently struggling with. Life can be tremendously difficult, but here at Healing Solutions, We will walk beside you in your journey of healing as you discover new hope and begin to experience all the joy that life can truly offer.

My background is probably a little different compared to other therapists in the field.. I enlisted in the Navy in 1984 after attending college in California for three years. I was a submarine nuclear trained electrician (Chief Petty Officer) until 2002 when I applied for and was subsequently selected to be commissioned as a Chaplain. I retired in 2012 from the Navy with almost 28 years on active duty. During that time, I served on 5 different submarines, as an instructor at a land-based nuclear prototype, and as Training Officer at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. Additionally, I served as a Chaplain at Navy boot camp, headed the Pastoral Care Department at a Naval hospital, and was a Battalion Chaplain in a Marine combat unit. Most recently, I served as the Command Chaplain of the amphibious warship, USS FORT McHENRY (LSD-43), where I had the added blessing of participating in Operation Unified Response in Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010. 

I am licensed as a Professional Counselor - Superv isor (LPCS) and Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS) in the state of North Carolina. I am also licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Washington State. I specialize in individual, couple, and group counseling, but also enjoy working with larger family systems. I work primarily with adults and adolescents. My passion however, is working with couples experiencing marital and relationship problems. I am a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist - Supervisor (CSAT-S), having personally trained with world renown therapist and researcher, Dr. Patrick Carnes. I, therefore, love working with couples and indviduals recovering from infidelity and sexual addiction. I aslo specialize in trauma recovery  and am trained in a technique called eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which is considered one of the most effective and leading trauma treatments available.
 
 I have masters degrees in professional counseling, addiction psychology, marriage and family therapy, and discipleship ministries. I also have a Doctor of Education (EdD) degree in counseling psychology. I am a Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor, as well as a nationally certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Master Addictions Specialist.

I enjoy mentoring, coaching, and supervising younger therapists. As an Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), I am available for clinical supervision of therapists seeking licensure or completing a practicum or internship. I enjoy passing on knowledge and guiding therapists in their professional journey.

I have authored numerous articles for scholarly journals and have presented at National conferences and to general audiences speaking on the topics of ethics, sexual addiction, infidelity, and building great relationships. I have authored three books: Pathways to Intimacy: Conversations for Closeness - Creating the Marriage you have Always Dreamed of (2011); Intimate Betrayal: Hope and Healing for Couples Recovering from Infidelity and Sexual Addiction (2011); and The Honeymoon's Over - Now What? (2013).

My proudest accomplishment however, has been marrying the love of my life, Lonna, more than 26 years ago and raising our four awesome children (Ila, Dawn, Kimberly, and Jonathan) together. The greatest (and most challenging) calling in life for me has been as a husband and a father.

I look forward to hearing from you and getting to know you better.

Please call or e-mail me at mike@charlottetherapy.com.