About Denise
Dr. Denise Petrelli-Holst is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 26 years in the helping professions. She brings a long and varied career to her counseling work.
Her background includes roles in the auto industry, education, art therapy, mentoring, and business consulting. This variety informs how she shapes practical support for people facing real problems. She prefers an open and flexible counseling style.
Sessions focus on clear, doable steps that fit each person's life.
Background and approach
She helps people identify choices, set goals, and practice new ways of coping. The aim is to build skills that can be used after a few sessions and over the long term. Dr.
Petrelli-Holst works with concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar mood concerns, grief, trauma and abuse, and anger. She also helps with career questions, self-esteem, ADHD, eating and body image struggles, and compassion fatigue. Additional areas include aging and geriatric issues, chronic illness and pain, cancer, divorce and separation, and financial stress.
Her approach draws from several methods including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, attachment-based ideas, and client-centered techniques. She aims to match the method to the person's needs rather than apply a one-size-fits-all model. Dr.
Petrelli-Holst is based in Wisconsin and conducts sessions in English. People interested in starting therapy complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions based on availability.
How her approaches translate online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, and then take action toward a meaningful life. It suits worries about anxiety, life changes, and low motivation. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and changing behaviors through small experiments and practice, which can help with depression, anxiety, and eating issues. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and improved communication skills, useful for anger, intense emotions, and relationship struggles.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist and client talk about goals, try methods that fit the person's style, and adjust as progress is made. The aim is to find what actually helps in day-to-day life rather than sticking to a single technique.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging so people can pick what fits their routine. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation for skill teaching and feedback. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text options work well for brief check-ins, coaching-style support, or when writing helps process feelings. These formats make therapy more flexible for busy schedules and varying needs.
Questions people ask
What kinds of problems does she address?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How much experience does she have?
Where is she located and what credential does she hold?
Which languages and regions are supported?
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What this counselor works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
Also listed
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Cancer
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Relationship issues
- Self-love
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Experience
- 26 years
- Licensed
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English