Therapist in Grand Rapids, Michigan Marilyn Buford, Therapist

Gender Identity: Female (She/Her)

Ages Served: 6-75+

Appointments: In-office and Online

Manages Medications: No, provides therapy only

Accepts Insurance: Yes - View accepted plans

Marilyn Buford, PhD, LPC

Specializes In:

Focus, concentration & memory

Menopause & perimenopause

Other women's health concerns

PMS & PMDD

Racial identity

Sexual trauma

Trauma & PTSD

See all specialties >

Marilyn Buford, LPC, helps children, adolescents, teens, adults, and seniors across Michigan find stability, clarity, and hope when emotional or behavioral challenges feel overwhelming. Practicing at LifeStance Health, she provides individual therapy that blends compassion with clinical skill, supporting patients throughout Michigan who are navigating anxiety, depression, and trauma-related concerns. Her approach is structured yet empathetic, helping individuals and families build practical coping strategies while fostering long-term emotional resilience.

Marilyn is especially passionate about supporting individuals who have been recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital or who are engaged in court-ordered treatment. She understands that these transitions can be complex and stressful, often involving heightened emotions, external pressures, and uncertainty about next steps. With a calm and nonjudgmental style, she helps clients stabilize symptoms, strengthen accountability, and reestablish routines that promote safety, independence, and sustained mental health progress.

In her broader clinical work, Marilyn treats anxiety, depression, and PTSD/trauma, with experience supporting children and adolescents as well as adults across midlife and later-life transitions. She integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients regulate emotions, change unhelpful thought patterns, and improve daily functioning. Marilyn welcomes individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those who are Black, Brown, POC, individuals involved in the foster care or adoption system, folks with immigrant ancestry, who are LGBTQ+, and those with autism spectrum disorder.

Outside of therapy, Marilyn is an enthusiastic mug collector, finding joy in small rituals that bring warmth and personality into everyday life. She has been practicing since 2016 and remains committed to providing thoughtful, individualized care