Veteran and LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy in Missouri
Michael Mason, M.Ed., LPC, NCC
Co-Founder & Lead Clinician | Licensed Professional Counselor
Trauma-Informed Therapy Grounded in Lived Experience
Experience That Shapes His Work
I’m Michael, a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, U.S. Army veteran, and Co-Founder & Lead Clinician of Safe Harbor Counseling of Missouri. My path has included homelessness, military service, higher education, chaplaincy, and my own experiences with mental health and late-life diagnoses. Those chapters shape the patience, directness, and respect I bring to therapy. I do not assume that my story is the same as yours. I use what I have learned to listen carefully, remain curious, and help create space where you can speak honestly about what you are carrying.
Born and raised in South Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, I learned early that culture, community, and belonging can influence how people understand themselves and one another. I served as a U.S. Army combat engineer from 1997 to 2004 and later spent more than nine years as a chaplain supporting older adults and people experiencing homelessness. Photography and playing guitar remain meaningful parts of my life outside the counseling room.
After moving to St. Louis, I earned an associate degree from St. Louis Community College, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a Master of Education in Psychological Counseling from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor.
My practice focuses on anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, and significant life transitions. I have particular experience working with veterans, LGBTQ+ clients, and people who have felt marginalized or misunderstood. I draw from cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based, and solution-focused approaches while tailoring therapy to the person in front of me.
Working With Michael
A Collaborative Approach
A collaborative, trauma-informed approach grounded in professional training and lived experience.
Who Michael Supports
Michael works with adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, identity concerns, and significant life transitions. He has particular experience supporting veterans, LGBTQ+ clients, and people who have felt marginalized or misunderstood.
Trauma-Informed Care
Michael works collaboratively and adapts therapy to each client’s needs, values, and goals. His trauma-informed approach emphasizes choice, respect, and attention to how past experiences may shape the present.
IFS Level 1 Trained Therapist
Michael completed IFS Institute Level 1 Training and practices Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy within the scope of his work as a licensed professional counselor.
Other Approaches
Michael may draw from cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based, and solution-focused strategies when they fit a client’s goals and needs.
What Therapy May Feel Like
Sessions with Michael may feel steady, candid, and compassionate. He offers room to slow down, name what is happening, and consider practical ways forward without judgment or pressure to perform.
Areas Michael May Help You Explore
Trauma and Stress Responses
Therapy is tailored to your goals; these are some of the concerns Michael currently addresses in his practice. Explore how past experiences, ongoing stress, or feeling on alert may affect your sense of safety, relationships, and daily life.
Anxiety and Worry
Notice patterns of worry, tension, racing thoughts, or avoidance and consider practical ways to respond with more steadiness and choice.
Depression and Mood
Make room for low mood, disconnection, loss of motivation, or self-criticism while identifying supports and steps that fit your circumstances.
Veteran and Military Experiences
Make room for the realities of service, transition, identity, loss, and the ways military experience can continue to shape civilian life.
LGBTQ+ Identity and Belonging
Explore identity, belonging, relationships, and the impact of feeling marginalized or misunderstood in an affirming therapeutic space.
Relationships and Life Transitions
Consider communication, changing roles, difficult decisions, grief, and other transitions without assigning blame or forcing a single path forward.
Michael’s Professional Credentials
