who we are

Welcome. I’m glad you’re here.

I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor in both Alaska and Oregon, and a clinical supervisor in Alaska. I also hold certification as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor and earned my Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Pacific University in Oregon in 2007. With over 20 years of experience in the mental health field across diverse settings, I bring a trauma-informed, strength-based, and person-centered approach to the work I do.

I am certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). My work is grounded in the belief that healing is possible for everyone. I’ve seen again and again the profound changes that can happen when people feel truly heard, accepted, and supported.

I work with teens, adults, and elders facing a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, grief, chronic pain, mood disorders, substance and alcohol use, postpartum depression/anxiety, neurodivergence, and more. I honor each person’s unique story and see therapy as a collaborative process—one that helps you reconnect with your inner resilience. 

My professional background includes working in residential treatment with adolescents facing co-occurring mental health and substance use issues, facilitating expressive arts and anger management groups in community mental health, and participating in early intervention programs for emerging mental illness in Oregon. In Alaska, I’ve supported university students at UAA and worked for many years in integrated care at the Native Medical Center, alongside maintaining a private practice.

With degrees in both psychology and art, I often incorporate expressive arts into therapy when it feels meaningful for the client.

Therapy is your space—your journey. It’s a place where you deserve to feel seen, valued, and empowered. Life brings challenges for all of us, and I believe therapy can be a transformative process for anyone seeking growth, healing, or simply a deeper understanding of themselves.

"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."

Leonard Cohen

https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1155769

I’m a licensed professional counselor and am passionate about helping adults reach their full potential in a safe, supportive space. I’ve worked extensively with people facing trauma, PTSD, grief, anxiety, life transitions, and depression, and I find it rewarding to see how therapy can lead to more fulfilling lives.

I believe in the strength within all of us and would love to partner with you on your journey of growth and healing. With my military background, I understand the unique challenges faced by service members and their families. I’m certified in evidence-based trauma treatments and here to support your healing. With experience in community mental health outpatient therapy, facilitation of grief and loss support groups + hospice, working with sexual assault victims + crisis intervention,  facilitation of cancer survivor support groups and expressive arts, as well as in running a partial hospitalization program I have a variety of experience, and know that each of us have our own story and I deeply support each one's journey.

I specialize in supporting people through major life transitions, new ventures, creativity, codependency, people-pleasing, relationships, depression, trauma, PTSD, grief, and emotional or behavioral challenges.  My goal is to help you navigate life’s complexities and find a path forward. I'm bilingual and can also conduct therapy in Spanish. 

You are the expert in your life, and I am here to help empower you to develop coping skills, strengthen relationships, and create a meaningful life.  If I am not in the office I am out climbing, hiking, or planning my next travel. I look forward to partnering together to create a path toward healing, resilience, and lasting transformation. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/lina-villar-eagle-river-ak/1487499

Maria is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Alaska and an Alaska Pacific University graduate with a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. She’s been working in the fields of trauma, grief and loss, perinatal mental health, disordered eating, and life transitions for 10 years. Maria completed an Insight yoga teacher training program with Yoga for Mental Health in 2018. She seeks to help others (and herself) thrive in life by nurturing body, mind and spirit.

She specializes in self-empowering body-mind tools to better handle life's stressors and support physical and mental health. She offer's the body-centered approach for addressing the effects of trauma, chronic conditions, anxiety and depression. She feel's passionate about helping individuals overcome their challenges, cope with pain, regulate emotions and improve relationships with others.

Maria utilizes somatic therapy, mindfulness and self-acceptance to promote psychological flexibility and build resilience.

Her main client focus is individual one-on-one therapy (adults, children 16+). The primary therapeutic modalities she uses are: Humanistic, Eclectic, Person-Centered, Strength-Based, Trauma informed/focused, Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, Mindfulness/Attachment-Based, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Motivational Interviewing

Her therapeutic specialities are: trauma and PTSD, chronic pain, grief, perinatal mental health, parenting, spirituality, body

awareness, mindfulness. She also works extensively with anxiety, depression/mood disorders, eating disorders, stress, coping skills, life transitions, life coaching, relationship issues, LGBTQ+, transgender and ADHD.

More than just her work:

“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.”- Rainer Maria Rilke