Holly Gardenier, LPC - Therapist in Wisconsin

Addictions help
Family of origin
Anxiety and grief

About Holly

Holly Gardenier is an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) based in Wisconsin with 35 years of clinical experience. She works with adults facing anxiety, depression, grief, addictions, and intimacy-related concerns. Holly also addresses family of origin issues and a range of related struggles such as codependency and attachment questions.

People meet with her when old patterns from childhood keep repeating in relationships or daily life. She uses straightforward conversation, reflective listening, and practical skills practice. Meditation and mindfulness are often suggested as simple daily habits to help with clarity and decision making.

Holly’s background includes long-term work with grief, trauma, and substance-related behaviors. She draws on multiple approaches to help people tolerate uncertainty and make concrete changes. Sessions may include emotion-focused discussion, skills for managing strong feelings, and values-based steps for moving forward.

In sessions she encourages looking beneath surface reactions to understand how earlier family roles and expectations still influence choices now. That might mean tracing patterns, naming unmet needs, and trying small experiments to shift responses. The work is gradual and practical, with an emphasis on recognizing what someone already knows about their life.

Her style balances listening with clear suggestions. People can expect focused conversation, simple behavioral tools, and support sorting through difficult feelings related to loss, identity, or longstanding family dynamics.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Holly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice difficult thoughts and then commit to small, values-based steps. ACT focuses on what matters most and on building actions that match those values, which can help with anxiety, grief, and life changes.

She also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy methods for handling intense emotions. DBT offers concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, useful when feelings escalate or relationships trigger old patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Holly collaborates with clients to decide which methods to try based on their goals, difficulties, and what feels workable. That choice can change as progress is made and new needs appear.

Confirm current session options before scheduling, since formats were not specified in the biography. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, let someone join from a quieter spot, or use a shorter check-in when time is limited. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises, mindfulness practices, and emotion-regulation skills to remote sessions so the practical work continues even when meeting virtually.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Addictions LGBT Trauma and abuse Grief Depression

Also works with

Stress, Anxiety Intimacy-related issuesEating disordersAnger managementBipolar disorderCoping with life changes

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issues Codependency Commitment issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDissociationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityInfidelity Isolation / loneliness Life purpose Midlife crisis Mood disordersObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPost-traumatic stressProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSocial anxiety and phobia Women's issues Young adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Client-Centered TherapyDialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

35+ years

Listed in

Wisconsin

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she help with?

She works with adults dealing with anxiety, depression, grief, addictions, intimacy issues, and family of origin concerns.

What is her therapeutic approach like?

She uses a mix of client-centered conversation, mindfulness practices, and skills-based methods to manage emotions and make changes.

How much clinical experience does she have?

Holly has 35 years of experience working with grief, trauma, substance-related behaviors, and related issues.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is an LPC licensed in Wisconsin and practices from that state.

Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?

International clients are accepted; sessions are offered in English.

Which session formats does she offer?

The original biography did not list specific session formats; confirm the current session options before booking.

How does payment work and what does it cost?

Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.

Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Looking for someone else? Find them by surname.