Stephanie Pletka, MS

I work with women, couples and college-aged clients who are experiencing communication issues, anxiety, depression, people pleasing, perfectionism, self-doubt, and those ready to step into new seasons of life.

I have been that person who juggles work and family life, believing where I was, I should be somewhere else, resulting in feelings of guilt and shame. When life, mortgages and kids can feel heavy. When partnerships feel like two ships passing in the night, rather than a connected couple with spark, intimacy and laughter. While our stories may be similar, yours is custom to you.

Together, we’ll discover practical tools to help you reconnect with yourself, strengthen your relationships, and intentionally create a life filled with confidence, connection and deep-rooted joy.

My approach is warm, collaborative, and empowering. I believe healing happens when you feel safe enough to be honest, understood without judgment, and supported enough to grow.

Together, we'll uncover those learned patterns that no longer serve you. Behaviors that hold you hostage to anger, self-doubt, anxiety, and people-pleasing. Those patterns that leave you feeling invisible. We will work to develop practical tools to help you become the person you were always meant to be, with greater purpose and well-being.

• Telehealth
• Sand Tray
• Training in Gottman Method Level 1

• You say "yes" when you want to say "no."
• You ruminate, overthink or worry about disappointing others
• You walk on eggshells
• You’re emotionally exhausted over relationships that aren’t working
• You struggle with anxiety, self-doubt, or feeling like you're never "enough."
• You want to learn healthy boundaries without feeling guilty.
• You’re an Empty Nester / Soon to be
• You and your partner want to rebuild trust, improve communication, or parent better.
• You and your partner are more like roommates than two people in love
• You're navigating a significant life transition / stepping into a new chapter

Stephanie earned her Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Grand Canyon University, with a concentration in Marriage and Family. Before becoming a counselor, she built a successful career in marketing communications, where she specialized in writing, speaking, and leading women's events focused on healthy boundaries and living true to oneself. These experiences continue to shape her ability to communicate with warmth, authenticity, and compassion.

As a wife and mother of 4 high-school and college-aged kids, Stephanie understands that every season of life brings unique challenges. She works with individuals, couples, and families by meeting them where they are, recognizing that each person's story and experiences are uniquely their own. She loves working with clients to find solutions, to help reduce anxiety and take back their life.

Her counseling approach is integrative and personalized, drawing from evidence-based modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person-Centered Therapy, Family Systems, Role-Playing, and Sand Tray techniques. She also incorporates the Gottman Method to help couples improve communication, rebuild trust, and strengthen relationships. Stephanie believes meaningful change begins in a safe, trusting environment where clients feel seen and heard, vested in their lasting growth.

Her areas of specialization include: parent counseling, couples therapy and relationship repair, focusing on adults and college-aged clients, life transitions, spirituality, anxiety, and people-pleasing behaviors. Stephanie's goal is to help her clients increase their emotional well-being, to live life to the fullest. Outside of the counseling office, Stephanie enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and watching SEC football, visiting 17 countries and 49 states. Ask her which state she hasn’t visited.

Stephanie practices under the direct supervision of Jill Howgate, LPC, CPCS.