Michael Strangstalien

Michael Strangstalien is an Arizona Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 25 years of professional experience. He helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, depression, life changes, and focus or concentration difficulties. He also works with people who are exploring life purpose and who are coping with mood or panic symptoms.

He frames the client as the expert in their own story and looks for strengths that can be used to address current struggles. Sessions are practical and straightforward. Conversations focus on what feels stuck and what can be changed next.

In practice he listens for patterns that maintain stress or poor concentration. He helps people notice how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. That often leads to small, concrete experiments to try between sessions. These steps are aimed at making daily life feel more manageable.

He is direct but respectful in session. He talks through relationship communication, attachment concerns, and workplace stress in a clear way. He also addresses issues such as divorce and separation, guilt and shame, isolation, and sexuality when those come up.

People who are unsure what comes next often find it useful to use therapy as a space to test options and make simpler choices. He offers an approach that checks what is working, adjusts strategies, and keeps goals focused on immediate next steps.

How evidence-based approaches translate to online sessions

Evidence-based methods focus on changing unhelpful patterns and building practical skills. One common approach emphasizes noticing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and then testing small changes. This helps with anxiety, mood shifts, panic symptoms, and day-to-day coping. Another approach uses skills for attention and organization aimed at concentration and ADHD-related struggles, with simple strategies people can try between meetings.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about what feels most useful and will adjust techniques based on needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative process helps decide whether to focus on symptom reduction, improving communication, or clarifying life purpose and next steps.

Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. In general, remote work can make fitting sessions into a busy life easier by removing travel time and allowing shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people join from a quieter spot, choose audio-only if video is difficult, or schedule sessions around a break at work. These practical benefits make it easier to test approaches and to carry small changes into everyday routines.