About Troy
Troy Bruns is a licensed professional counselor who helps people find steady ground when life feels overwhelming. He meets people where they are and focuses on practical steps that make day-to-day life more manageable. He has two decades of experience and brings a calm, direct style to sessions.
Troy has worked in independent practice for 12 years and has also done emergency assessments in an ER setting. That background means he is used to supporting people through urgent concerns as well as ongoing struggles.
Background and approach
Troy has worked in a variety of settings, including substance use treatment programs in hospitals and clinics, inpatient and outpatient services, and employee assistance counseling. He also teaches students studying substance use disorder care at a technical college. These roles give him a broad view of how challenges like addiction, stress, and adjustment issues affect daily life.
In sessions he prioritizes understanding what a person is going through. Building a practical working relationship comes first. He focuses on collaborative problem solving so people leave with concrete steps they can try between meetings.
People come to Troy for a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, relationship strain, trauma and grief, sleep problems, anger, career stress, bipolar challenges, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. He aims to help each person identify achievable goals and simple strategies that fit their life and schedule.
Approaches that translate well online
Evidence-based techniques can be effective over video, phone, and messaging. One common approach is focused problem solving - identifying a specific issue, breaking it into steps, and trying practical experiments between sessions. This method helps with things like anxiety, sleep problems, career stress, and everyday coping.Another useful method is skills-based work for emotional regulation and stress management. That involves learning short exercises and simple routines to reduce reactivity and improve sleep, anger control, or compassion fatigue. These skills are practiced in session and adapted to each person's daily life.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work together with each person to choose methods that fit their goals, needs, and preferences. That collaborative planning makes it easier to adjust techniques as progress is made.
Online formats offer practical benefits. Video calls let you keep visual contact and work through exercises together. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or you prefer not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging allow for shorter check-ins, tracking progress between sessions, and flexibility during busy days. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work and family routines.
Questions people ask
What kinds of problems does Troy help with?
What is his therapeutic style like?
What experience does he bring to sessions?
Where is Troy based and what license does he hold?
Which languages are available for sessions?
What session formats are available?
How does pricing work for sessions?
How do I begin working with him?
What this counselor works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- LGBT
- Sleeping disorders
- Trauma and abuse
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English