Meet Michael G. Bauer | Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Art Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael G. Bauer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael G., what role has risk played in your life or career?
I took a risk in 2012 and ventured into an unknown space. I knew myself as an artist and musician and that changed. I decided to embark on the journey of becoming a therapist. And moving into this unknown world of psychology was a risk for me. I didn’t know if I’d be good at the work or take to the material we explored in and out of class. And pursuing a degree in marriage and family therapy opened up a whole world of internal work, including me going to therapy and beginning to better understand myself along with meeting with clients. This experience challenged many of my assumptions, deeply held beliefs, and orientation toward the world.

It’s a risk to be emotionally vulnerable. It’s a risk to express one’s self fully, to express love, and to do it boldly. That’s what I love about being a therapist and helping my clients. We have the opportunity to get into the practice of emotional risk-taking; working towards being our honest, authentic selves and learning to accept every single part. We can become bolder in our commitments and be accountable for what we do and say. Sometimes it’s easier to sweep something under the rug or to avoid a situation or interaction. It’s a risk however to bring something up or show someone we care or tell someone how we really feel and I see my clients making strides every day in taking helpful emotional risks.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and registered art therapist, artist, and musician. I have a specialty in working with artists and creatives and have experience working with designers, writers, visual artists, and musicians, and understand the complexities that come along with being a creative practitioner. This can include challenges such as creative blocks, professional shifts, financial difficulties, limiting beliefs and negative self-talk, OCD thoughts, and behaviors, depression, and anxiety.

Through a combination of training, learning, and personal experience as a creative, I’m excited that I can work with this population and provide grounded effective therapy. I get to see peoples’ lives improve significantly. On a regular basis, I witness people make profound shifts in their lives that bring them closer to feeling a deep sense of fulfillment, self-efficacy, and satisfaction in themselves and their relationships.

I got to this place through education, clinical experience, and my own trials and tribulations. I’ve had to learn and build insight around my own internal landscape, the types of thoughts I experience, and my own self-imposed limitations. One of the main lessons I’ve learned along the way is certain thoughts and thinking styles don’t serve us and it can be helpful to actively name and challenge unhelpful. thoughts and narratives. When we shift our thinking our behaviors can also shift in very helpful ways.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Let’s start out and get a piece of apple pie and coffee for breakfast at 11 am at the Apple Pan. We can visit the Diorama-Museum of Bhagavad-gita in Culver City and The Museum of Jurassic Technology. Let’s stop by Tartine in West Adams for lunch and go to the Underground Museum afterward.

Then we backtrack and go take a late afternoon nap at Will Rogers State Park and roll around the grass. We can weave around the hiking trail for a bit and when we’re done let’s slowly take Sunset Boulevard all the way east to downtown. We’ll spend the evening eating Pho and watching a performance at Human Resources and grabbing a drink at Melody Lounge.

The next day let’s go up the 101 and spend the day driving up to Ventura on the PCH. We can stop by the Grocery Outlet and buy food for an impromptu picnic along the ocean at Rincon Beach. Then I’ll take us to the hot springs. Let’s keep on crawling up the coast.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to recognize my consultation group, which consists of a number of talented and dedicated therapists, who are invested in professional development and deepening their craft. This includes Loida Almaguel, (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/loida-almaguel-berkeley-ca/851452), Nadia Alvarez of Nela Therapy (https://www.nela-therapy.com/), Clarissa Greguska (https://www.losangelesmftherapist.com/our-team/clarissa-greguska) Chauney Peck (https://www.chauneypeckmft.com), Ariel Rosenbloom, (https://www.arielrosenbloomlcsw.com), Andrea Saavedra-Metoyer (https://www.theintersectionaltherapist.com), Sharon Uy (https://www.sharonuy.com/) and Sharon Yu of Therapy on Fig (https://therapyonfig.com).

Website: www.counselingforcreativepeople.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/counseling_for_creative_people

Facebook: www.facebook/counselingforcreativepeople

Image Credits
Images by Steven Rimlinger (2 and 3) and Paul Redmond. (1,,4,5,6)