At The Art of Well-Being and True Mind + Body, we believe that the relationship between a child and their therapist is everything. The techniques matter, the space matters — but the person in the room matters most.
That’s why we’re launching our Clinician Spotlight series. Every couple of months, we’ll introduce you to one of the incredible therapists on our team — the humans behind the work. The ones who show up every day with creativity, warmth, and a deep commitment to meeting every child exactly where they are.
First up is Mike, Program Director of inMotion Therapy at The Art of Well-Being — and someone who has a way of explaining what we do that stops people in their tracks.
Because when you trust us with your kid, you deserve to know who’s in that room with them.
What do you hope every client feels when they’re in session with you?
That’s an easy one: connected. We get so many families that say, ‘Our kid just doesn’t dig therapy; what should we do?’ And I start salivating when I hear that. We are not a ‘there’s something wrong with you’ type of therapy. We are a connection therapy.
We never once have to talk about why homework stinks. Ever. We can talk about that feeling they get when they’re given a task that feels too big for them, work on that feeling and that thought pattern — and all of a sudden their biofeedback loops start shifting. Parents go, ‘I don’t get why this is working because we’ve never once talked about homework.’ It’s because we used the symbol of homework in play, worked on the threat response that symbol invokes — and the happy coincidence is now they’re doing their homework.
What does a win look like in your work?
After getting to know a kid for three weeks and then talking with parents, it’s pretty astounding the differences they noticed just after 150 minutes of therapy. Did we solve every problem? No, we’re just getting started! A parent of a newer client just told me the other day that, instead of throwing a toy like usual, their child came over to them and told them that he was feeling mad and sad. That’s how you know the process is working — he was able to do that just because he had a safe place to process what it feels like within the body to be upset, frustrated, and feel unseen.
The first parent session is always my favorite. All parents often get when the kid gets in the car after a session is, ‘Oh, it was so fun, we played X, Y, and Z.’ And then parents go, ‘Okay, I’m glad they’re having fun, but what’s going on in there?’ And that’s when you get to say, ‘Let me explain to you why this is more than just a game.’
You kind of have to speak three languages when you do this — you have to speak “child,” you have to remember everything the experts have ever written on the topic, and then you have to translate all of it for a family that is confused or scared or concerned. Combining all three ways of looking at the world…that’s the work. And that is the most fulfilling part of the job.
You’re known as one of the sporty therapists — do you play any sports outside of work?
The only sport my knees allow me to regularly play at this point in life is darts. I’m still a part of the competitive darts community in Chicago. It’s nerdy — it’s a bunch of nerdy people who take it a little too seriously, which I love. Darts is such a mental game. The feeling you get when you’re aiming for a bullseye to end a game is very different than when you’re aiming for the big part of the 20 to start it. It’s the same dart, it’s the same board — it’s just all eyes are on you.
How does that connect to the work you do?
That’s actually a perfect example of nervous system work in action. Why is this shot different? You can talk about negative self-talk, how to cognitively restructure that, and the difference you feel in your body when you do. And that’s the thing — nervous system work is not given enough attention. We’ve always heard terms like fight, flight, or freeze, but it’s not often given its proper respect within the therapeutic space. The amount of times I’ve talked with clinicians (outside of the practice) who say ‘the kid’s just not saying anything’ — oftentimes that’s not on the child. That is on the clinician completely ignoring threat responses and nervous system work. I have never had a session in which a kid said nothing. They may not have verbally communicated anything to me, but the nervous system doesn’t lie. And if you listen to it, you can get a lot of good work done.
What excites you most about the team you lead?
We’ve done a really good job of bringing a fun, like-minded group together that all shares the common understanding that therapy can be different. Watching another generation of clinicians with way better ideas and way more fun than me take these exact concepts and do it in their own style — it’s inspiring.
Some metaphors my teammates use, I could never use. For instance, I could never get up and say, ‘Let’s dance like a rainbow now.’ At the same time, some of them also couldn’t go, ‘All right, I’m gonna play one-on-one basketball with you and smash the ball down and see what happens.’ Both of us are right, using the same theories, but connecting with very different kids in our own authentic way. If it was as easy as ChatGPTing something or reading a book about it, we wouldn’t have any clients. No book is written just for “Johnny” (pretend client) or “Mike” (clinician).
What helps you reset after a hard day?
Music. Whether that’s cranking something very noisy the entire way home, or checking what concerts are coming to town — that is my own form of meditation. My dad is a huge Lynyrd Skynyrd guy, so if I’ve had a long day, I’m cranking Lynyrd Skynyrd live. At the same time, my number one artist this year was Bad Bunny. Working with kids, it’s fun trying to stay young with them. I also have a little trouble passing Culver’s on a long day. The sign gets brighter and brighter the more stressed I am — but thankfully it’s out of the way.
