April Kaiserlian LMSW Therapy

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April Kaiserlian LMSW Therapy I offer experiential psychotherapy infused with mindfulness and self-compassion.

Thank you for the birthday love! Here's an update on my life at the moment! This is a pic I took after a recent hike...
07/19/2026

Thank you for the birthday love! Here's an update on my life at the moment! This is a pic I took after a recent hike around Presque Isle and the Black Rocks in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I make the 7-hour trek north once a month, which means I am living a bi-peninsula life! There I am on the shores of Lake Superior, followed by last night’s smoky view of Lake Michigan. It’s such a uniquely Michigan way to live!
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It’s hard to believe that 2 years have passed since my milestone year of turning 50. I always hike to my favorite beach on my birthday because I like to watch time pass with the movement of the setting sun. It is a simple, yet poignant reminder to be present. As I sat and watched the sun disappear into a haze over Lake Michigan last night with my daughter and my sister, the smoke from the Canadian wildfires also offered a poignant reminder of how connected we are across time, space, and borders.
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I miss connecting here on the socials, but doomscrolling the news cycle over the past few years started to break my brain and my heart in a way I could not keep up with. Author Maxine Hong Kingston once beautifully wrote, “In a time of destruction, create something. A poem. A parade. A community. A school. A vow. A moral principle. One peaceful moment.” I don’t want doomscrolling to render my heart useless for creating, so I am doing most things offline (for now).
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I continue to love my work as a therapist - seeing individuals and couples both online and in-person. www.aprilkaiserlian.com I am learning how to engage the political landscape through long-form newsletters and other small actions that help me reclaim hope and connection. I have also joined my mentor, Ethan Nichtern, and his amazing faculty at A Mindful World and Dharma Moon, where I teach in Ethan's Yearlong Buddhist Studies Program. Follow Ethan on Substack www.ethannichtern.substack.com
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I am trying to regain my ability to write long-form essays with my brilliant writing coach, Alexa Wilding - follow her on Substack www.alexawilding.substack.com I hope someday I will get to share something I’ve published with you! I am back to working on developing a course on mindfulness and emotions. I vow to be quiet and slow for as long as it takes to create something out of this space I get to embody.
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Please know, I am always holding as much grace in my heart as I possibly can for all of us. Grace upon grace upon grace! May we remember our connection in every small moment today and every day. We are never not connected. ❤️

"I hate war. I hate it without knowing how to end it. Hate is said to serve no purpose. Like anger, it eats away at ...
03/08/2026

"I hate war. I hate it without knowing how to end it. Hate is said to serve no purpose. Like anger, it eats away at the one who holds it, but I know a secret. Hate is the single-syllable word I use for the life force that rages through every pore of my skin. What if I let this force burst through my edges like water moving so fast that it remakes the landscape of the world in an instant? I am too small to hold so much change but I can imagine it. I can imagine being so large that this life of mine could change the world. And for good." April Kaiserlian
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My words were inspired by an interview with Reza Sayah - a journalist and former CNN correspondent living in Tehran, Iran. His interview was posted on March 5, 2026. His words are below. His voice choked up when he said, "I want to hold her..."
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"I'll explain it by saying that it's awful. It's awful and I hate it. I hate it. I hate war, and I - and I wish somehow this would end. And I have to think there has to be a way to make it end because people are suffering. And in the view of many they're suffering unnecessarily. I've seen some terrible things - airstrikes every day - that familiar sound of a jet flying over and seconds later you hear a large explosion in the plumes of smoke. I live here. I have a seven-year-old daughter and the day where the initial strike happened that hit the supreme leader she was with me and I heard this earth shaking boom and I knew what it was and I put her in my car and I raced to the northern part of the town. She's away from Tehran now. She's along the Caspian Sea with her mother where she's safe, but I miss her very much. I want to hold her and she's safe but many other people are not."
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Website for individual and couples psychotherapy information: aprilkaiserlian.com
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Overwhelmed? Me too. I am trying to use this simple formula to guide my way: Information + Action = Impact •Much of ...
01/30/2026

Overwhelmed? Me too. I am trying to use this simple formula to guide my way: Information + Action = Impact
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Much of my overwhelm happens when I am passively consuming more information than I can integrate. And by integrate I mean transforming information into action no matter how small that action might be.
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And let me remind that you that SMALL is all you can do as one person.
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If you want to go BIG then join your small actions to the actions of others in whatever way you can.
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When you do this the formula expands:
Action x Other People = Infinite Ripples of CHANGE across days, weeks, months, years, and yes - across generations.
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Small actions? Check on your neighbors. Call your elected officials using the 5 Calls App. Support a local non-profit organization. These are some of the small things I am doing alongside others.
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Website for individual and couples psychotherapy: aprilkaiserlian.com �Substack newsletter: aprilkaiserlian.substack.com/
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"Give up the fantasy that you'll ever be enough for this hurting world. Join your hearts to other hearts. Join your ...
01/22/2026

"Give up the fantasy that you'll ever be enough for this hurting world. Join your hearts to other hearts. Join your moments to other moments. Join your actions to the actions of others. Joining is the only sustainable way to engage our hurting world." April Kaiserlian
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Find me on substack to read how an update on how I am engaging in the midst of so much pain and confusion. I share how I am getting involved locally and beyond. Here is an excerpt from my substack/newsletter:
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I am wrestling with how to be involved in the struggle for justice inside my work as a psychotherapist well as outside the walls of my therapy practice.
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Daily, I recite my Buddhist Bodhisattva vow of compassion which is as follows:
Recognizing the truth of interdependence, that whether I dwell in the awakened state or the many realms of confusion - I nonetheless remain connected to all suffering beings. I now arouse the heart of Bodhi (compassion).
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Although I love this vow of compassion, it is the word confusion that brings me some solace right now because it captures how I feel most of the time - more so is the acknowledgment that even in my confused state, I nonetheless remain connected to all suffering beings.
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I can be CONFUSED and CONNECTED. The truth of this helps me stay engaged in every small and messy way I am able to (see full substack for ways I am practicing therapy, meditation, teaching, and activism)...
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Website for individual and couples psychotherapy: aprilkaiserlian.com �Substack newsletter: aprilkaiserlian.substack.com/
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May we remember connection as our most necessary treasure in the New Year. This was my favorite piece from 2025. I a...
12/31/2025

May we remember connection as our most necessary treasure in the New Year. This was my favorite piece from 2025. I am going to carry it into 2026.
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Connection felt hard in 2025. And it was not because I was NOT connected but mostly due to the surreal over-connection of social media. I am finding my way to connection but mostly offline and in small, direct ways. I hope to find my way back to a form of connection that feels more real to me here in 2026.
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"We are born in connection. We live through connection. We die in connection, too. Threadbare, though it may be at times, connection is our greatest and most necessary treasure. We often overlook it in times of plenty only to remember it in times of need. May we tend to the fabric of connection for the benefit of all – always and in every way." April Kaiserlian
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Website for mindfulness-based individual and couples psychotherapy information: aprilkaiserlian.com
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Colorful Insights Newsletter www.aprilkaiserlian.com/colorful-insights.com
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Art-by-Donation Project: Pick a non-profit. Make a donation. Message me the receipt. Pick a piece of art from my feed with a ⭐️ by it and I will send it your way! I have 2 versions of this piece available Please consider your local mutual aid group!
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"Erase cruelty. Embrace compassion." I have been pondering this simple declaration as a place to begin. It helps me ...
11/05/2025

"Erase cruelty. Embrace compassion." I have been pondering this simple declaration as a place to begin. It helps me unstick some of my stuckness.
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Ultimately, the action of compassion can be both simple and complex. It requires discernment and presence. I will keep slowing down with this complexity to discern what I can do next. I cannot erase all cruelty. Neither can you. But I can start with small, simple actions as a way of transforming the energy of cruelty.
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Now that SNAP and food benefits are being cut due to the government shut down I am supporting my local food pantry. I made 2 yard signs to encourage people in my community to do the same. I am happy to support these programs with my tax dollars and will continue to find other ways to support my community.
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Erase cruelty. Embrace compassion.
Erase cruelty. Embrace compassion.
Erase cruelty. Embrace compassion.
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This will be my mantra for the days to come. It is easier said than done but it offers a simple place to begin. Please consider giving today in whatever way you are able to - small, medium, or large - it all matters. And receive what you need to receive. There truly is ENOUGH for all of us. Thank you.
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Website for mindfulness-based individual and couples psychotherapy information: www.aprilkaiserlian.com
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10/12/2025

People asked really hard and heartfelt questions at my Mindfulness of Emotions workshop on Saturday at Kula Yoga. What people shared will be ringing in my ears (and my heart) in the days to come and all of it will inform my 8-week Mindfulness of Emotions course I will be offering early 2026. Please stay tuned!
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Website for mindfulness-based individual and couples psychotherapy information: www.aprilkaiserlian.com
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10/09/2025

Push! Puff! Pop! Join me on Saturday, October 11, 11-3 pm for my 4-hour Mindfulness of Emotions workshop at Kula Yoga: https://www.kulagr.com/events
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Website for mindfulness-based individual and couples psychotherapy information: www.aprilkaiserlian.com
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10/06/2025

Anne Lamott's words describe my silent meditation retreat experiences best with her description of grace: "I do not understand the mystery of grace -- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us."
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Let's bring some much needed grace to our emotions. Join me on Saturday, October 11, 11-3 pm for my 4-hour Mindfulness of Emotions workshop at Kula Yoga: https://www.kulagr.com/events
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Website for mindfulness-based individual and couples psychotherapy information: www.aprilkaiserlian.com
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983 Spaulding Avenue
Ada, MI
49301

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Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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