About Dean
Dean Altenhofen is a Licensed Professional Counselor working in Louisiana with 20 years of experience. He focuses on relationship concerns, depression, trauma and abuse, LGBT issues, and helping people cope with major life changes. Dean aims to create a calm, practical space where people can talk through what feels overwhelming and start making small changes.
He uses straightforward, goal-focused methods to help people reduce distress and rebuild routines. Sessions often include identifying unhelpful thinking patterns, trying new ways of handling conflict, and practicing simple awareness exercises to lower stress.
Background and approach
Dean also helps people navigate complex relationship issues like commitment concerns, infidelity, blended family tensions, and communication problems. People who struggle with chronic pain, illness, addiction, guilt or shame can get help managing daily life and improving coping skills. He also works with issues linked to family of origin, abandonment, and the emotional effects of separation or divorce.
Dean is familiar with topics related to alternative sexual cultures, including BDSM and kink, and addresses these without judgment. His approach is collaborative and practical. He helps people set clear goals, track small steps forward, and adjust plans when something isn’t working.
Sessions are offered in English and use methods drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and solution-focused work. Dean holds an LPC license in Louisiana and brings two decades of experience to each session. He encourages people to take the first step by describing their goals and trying an approach that feels doable for everyday life.
Practical approaches for online therapy
Dean uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people spot and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT breaks problems into manageable parts and teaches clear skills for handling anxiety, depression, and relationship patterns.He also draws on mindfulness therapy to teach simple attention and breathing practices. Those exercises help reduce reactivity and bring more calm to daily life. Solution-focused therapy is part of his work as well, emphasizing small, concrete steps and what clients want to see change first.
Deciding which approach to use is collaborative. The therapist will work with each person to match methods to their goals, needs, and preferences. Plans can shift as progress is made or new priorities emerge.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different routines. Video works well for longer sessions and face-to-face conversation. Phone can be easier when bandwidth is low or a shorter check-in is needed. Chat and messaging are useful for quick updates, tracking steps, or when writing feels more comfortable than speaking.
Questions people ask
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What this counselor works with
Most often
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Abandonment
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Louisiana
- Languages
- English