Existential Depth
Psychotherapy

Michael Larson, LMFT (they/he)

Therapy for Adults in California

Phone & Video Sessions

Headshot of Michael Larson

I’m a queer, neurodivergent existential depth therapist, drawn to the mysteries we live and the becoming in between.

This work is spacious, grounded in presence and relationship — a way of being-with.

I meet people at the unruly edges, where you don’t have to know to be met.

“I exist as I am,
that is enough.”

Walt Whitman

I offer individual therapy for adults in California, meeting by phone or secure video.

Many of the people I work with are exploring identity, grief, creativity, or ways of being that don’t fit neatly into categories. Those who resonate with this process may feel deeply, think in expansive, nonlinear ways, and carry stories that have been misunderstood, overlooked, or untold.

Some are neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, artists or creatives, spiritually curious, or in roles of holding space for others. Many have learned to move through life by masking, accommodating, or holding too much alone — whether as a means of survival or as part of tending to others.

If something here stirs or resonates, we can explore together what it might mean to begin.

Areas of Exploration

These areas of exploration reflect the wide range of what people bring into therapy — identities, experiences, longings, questions, and more. You don’t need to see yourself in any one place; this list is here as an offering, not a prescription.

  • Anxiety
  • Archetypes, Symbols & Images
  • Authenticity & Self-Discovery
  • Body Image & Embodiment
  • Boundaries
  • Compassion Fatigue & Burnout
  • Complex Trauma
  • Creativity
  • Depression
  • Death, Loss & Suffering
  • Dreams & Fantasies
  • Emotions, Experience & Embodiment
  • Gender
  • Grief
  • Identity & Self
  • Kink
  • LGBTQIA+
  • Life Transitions
  • Myth, Meaning & Meaninglessness
  • Neurodivergence
  • Paradox & Ambiguity
  • Perfectionism
  • Personal Growth
  • Polyamory & Consensual Non-Monogamy
  • Privilege & Oppression
  • Relationships
  • Sensitivity
  • Sexuality
  • Shadow & the Unconscious
  • Shame
  • Spiritual & Religious Trauma
  • Spirituality
  • Values & Beliefs
How We Might Work Together

While the list above reflects what therapy might hold, how we approach and engage with what arises matters too. These are some of the frames that guide how I hold this work — honoring difference, depth, and the ongoing processes of liberation and meaning-making.

Relational Presence

Emphasizing mutuality, collaboration, and the unfolding of the therapeutic relationship itself. Therapy isn’t something done to you — it’s something we create together.

Identity-Affirming

Honoring the layered complexity of identity — shaped by visible and invisible aspects of self, intersecting histories, and evolving ways of being. This space holds room for self-definition, contradiction, and change, without assumption or expectation.

Neurodiversity-Affirming

Honoring varied ways of sensing, processing, feeling, and relating, while attending to lived experiences like overstimulation, masking, and survival strategies. From a non-pathologizing stance, this work makes room for ways of being that don’t need to be explained or changed.

Liberatory Holding

Attending to the personal within the political — including cultural context, systemic harm, survival strategies, and inherited legacies. Therapy can be a space to question, reclaim, and imagine otherwise.

Existential Depth

Exploring meaning, freedom, mortality, and what it means to be human — especially in moments of uncertainty, transition, longing, or unraveling. This work doesn’t rush toward clarity. It stays with what feels unfinished, tender, or unknown.

Process over Prescription

Prioritizing unfolding exploration over rigid goals, outcomes, or diagnostic labels. Clarity is not rushed. Meaning emerges slowly.

Symbolic & Imaginal Work

Attending to dreams, archetypes, image, and metaphor — not to decode or fix, but to wonder with what arises.

Attunement to Complexity & Paradox

Making space for uncertainty, contradiction, and states that resist resolution. We don’t need to force clarity — being with what’s unclear is often part of the work.

Therapy with me is collaborative and spacious, shaped around what feels supportive for you and the work that unfolds between us. Here are a few details about sessions, fees, and how to get started.

If you’re curious about working together, we can begin with a free phone consultation (typically around 30 minutes).

Sessions

Sessions are typically 60 minutes and offered weekly by secure video or phone.

In the early stages of therapy, meeting regularly helps support connection and the foundation for meaningful work. Over time, we can revisit frequency based on what feels supportive and where the work leads.

Licensure & Location

I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California. I work remotely and can only meet with clients who are physically located in California at the time of each session.

Fees

My standard fee is $180 per 60-minute session.

Sliding scale options may be available based on need, availability, and what feels sustainable for our work together.

I do not bill insurance directly. Paying privately without using insurance offers more flexibility in how we structure our work and keeps your records confidential between us (except as legally required).

If you have out-of-network benefits, I can provide a superbill (an itemized receipt) for possible reimbursement from your insurance company. If you’re considering this option, I recommend checking with your insurance provider to understand their specific requirements and whether reimbursement is available.

Getting Started

I offer a free phone consultation (typically around 30 minutes) to see if working together feels like a good fit.

During this conversation, we can explore your reasons for seeking therapy, your hopes or questions, and some logistical details (e.g., fees, availability, telehealth).

Afterward, I’ll hold space in my practice for two weeks so you can reflect on next steps. If we decide not to work together, I’m happy to support you in exploring other options.

If you’re a therapist, guide, or space-holder, I’m open to connecting — whether you’re looking to refer a client, explore existential, depth-oriented consultation, or reach out in the spirit of shared values.

If something here resonates, I’d be glad to be in touch.

Whether you’re interested in working together, seeking consultation, exploring collaboration, or simply feeling curious, you can use the contact form here.

I typically respond to messages within 48 hours (Tuesday–Friday).

I look forward to connecting with you.

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Link to Axis Mundi Center for Mental Health

michael@michaellarsontherapy.com