Therapists Beginning With P in Alaska

As a therapist, I believe that lasting change comes from the inside. I view therapy as a guide post to help individuals, couples, and families navigate difficult situations and to discover their inner strength and potential. I believe in providing a safe, nonjudgmental, and relaxed atmosphere to create a therapeutic alliance to help you attain your goals. For the past 7 years I have worked with children, families, and young adults from various backgrounds and life situations dealing with a wide range of complex issues such as; trauma, depression, anxiety, developing healthy relationships, and sexual issues

In our sessions, I create a safe and welcoming space for you to better understand yourself and the impact of your life experiences on your everyday functioning. I believe that our life experiences shape and inform core beliefs, which, in turn, shape and define our experience of the world. Together, we'll explore these internal narratives and beliefs, working on rewriting them to enhance your well-being. My foundation in trauma-informed care guides my work, and I respect and support you in your process, attuning to your motivation level, and creatively exploring strategies and solutions for success.

There are times when we get stuck in the pain of sadness, discouragement, and disappointment. Sometimes we can shake ourselves out of it. Other times we may feel overwhelmed. When these feelings get in the way of being the person we want to be, having the relationships we want, or getting what we want out of life, you are not alone. Reach out for help. I am an Expressive Arts Therapist, and I guide individuals through painful times to come out the other side. Together, we use different art forms to help you identify and express how you are feeling. This is not art making. It is self-expression leading to insight and healing.

Hello, I'm glad you're here and taking the next step on your journey to caring for yourself. Life can offer so many exciting possibilities, but can also throw us a lot of unexpected twists and challenges. I want to help you navigate these challenges, walk with you through grief or change, and offer hope for the future. In my work I focus on building upon personal strengths, as well as strengthening relationships. I strive to be a safe landing place as you work through the complexities that are life. My specialties are working with adoptive families, attachment, divorce, life change, emotional skill development, and communication.

Do you or your child feel stuck and struggling with anxiety symptoms, unwanted relationship patterns, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, or difficulty recovering from a painful experience? I will support you or your child with a safe space that provides compassion, honesty, without judgment, practical support, and clear communication of my observations in our time together.

Thank you for considering me in this part of your journey. I help Alaskans that have been impacted by their past. Whether that impact came from early childhood or from a more recent experience, it can last throughout a lifetime and provoke feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and chronic distress. I am excited to bring strength-based, trauma-focused, and holistic therapy services to help restore hope and achieve a desirable quality of life that can be free from the unhelpful influences of past experiences.

My approach to therapy comes from the belief that within each of us is an inner wisdom, that when accessed will guide us to new insights, answers, relief and even healing from our burdens and struggles. I believe we are all designed to find healing, when we do our own, honest "soul searching" or inner exploration. Richard Schwartz, developer of the Internal Family Systems model, stumbled upon an approach to navigating our internal systems through work with his clients. He discovered that we all possess the positive qualities of calmness, compassion, confidence, courage, etc. when connected to this source of inner wisdom.

I enjoy working with both adolescents and adults. I have worked in a wide variety of settings including Alternative High School, Outpatient and Inpatient Drug Treatment, State Hospital, Community Mental Health Center, and for the past 3 years private practice. My background and years of experience includes assessment, interventions, crisis counseling, individual and group therapy.

Are you looking to develop more self-awareness, reduce stress and find life more meaningful? Therapy can be a useful tool to aid in this process. Our work together may include processing life experiences, identify current emotional responses, and engaging in skill building work to improve coping. Together, we can work through the current challenges you may be facing and identify positive paths toward change and healing.

I am passionate about meeting the client where they are and trying to find healthy ways to cope and achieve mental wellness. The sessions are tailored to meet the needs of the client and the expected outcomes they would like to achieve a healthy and fulfilled life. I would love to connect to talk about how you can benefit from therapeutic services. I offer Clinical Supervision for Professional Counselors working towards licensure. I am proud to specialize in women's health, perinatal, postpartum support in women and men, and other supports while you are experiencing pregnancy. I offer testing services under supervision.

I come from a diverse background in education, personal experience, and training. I fully believe in treating the whole person in order to address the presenting problem. My approach comes from such therapy styles to include CBT, DBT, Rogerian, EMDR, ACT, CCPT, Filial therapy, and the work of Gottman. I try to meet each client where they are when we start our work together and believe the client is the expert on themselves. I hope to be able to offer insight, education, and intervention to all clients and am continually seeking new research and training to add to my repertoire.

With life comes challenges; beautiful and heavy or dark. Every person has a story and it is valuable! I believe that while trauma can have a powerful impact, we are incredibly resilient. Every human deserves to experience healing, to live life fully, and thrive. I am holistic and humanistic; mind, body, soul, spirit are connected. I believe in the power of curiosity, energy, grace, connection, and humor. Therapy offers new learning, self-discovery, skill-building, growth, and healing. With practice we learn to work through trauma to be fully present for all the moments in this life. Be curious. I look forward to connecting with you!

Michael Pretz grew up in Friday Harbor, WA playing Wolverine Football and Wrestling. He worked for the state of Alaska for 7 years working in Anchorage. In therapy, Michael's goal is to help and support people through an individualized growth and healing process. Michael is a client-centered therapist with an existential philosophy. Michael believes an empathetic, judgement free space is essential to any therapeutic process. Michael is an evidence-based clinician and diagnostician that is healing-focused.

Are you dealing with grief, anxiety, depression, problems in relationships, or communication? Are there things you haven't been able to resolve and want to get unstuck? Do you have goals you would like to reach in life? Do you want to function better and feel better? There are many reasons to participate in counseling. We are here to help.