Alyssa “Petersen” Domel, LPC, LPC-MH, LMHC

Alyssa “Petersen” Domel helps people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, grief, and big life changes. She draws on practical strategies to reduce symptoms and build coping skills. Alyssa speaks plainly and aims to make therapy feel manageable for busy parents and adults.

Alyssa is a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, with additional LPC-MH and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC credentials. She has nine years of experience working in mental health in South Dakota. Her background includes work with depression, anxiety, substance use concerns, bipolar mood challenges, and sleep problems.

Her approach blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with attachment-focused and client-centered methods. That means sessions often include clear steps to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, along with attention to relationship patterns and what matters to each person. She also uses skills from dialectical behavior work and relationship-focused methods when helpful.

Alyssa supports people dealing with parenting stress, relationship and family problems, codependency, and issues around shame and forgiveness. She offers concrete tools for managing anger, improving communication, and coping with life transitions. Sessions aim to be straightforward and actionable.

Therapy can include short skill practice, thought work, and planning for small changes between sessions. Alyssa invites clients to set goals together and to move at a pace that feels right for them.

How therapy approaches translate to online sessions

Alyssa combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy to address both thoughts and relationship patterns. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. Attachment-based work looks at how early and current relationship experiences shape feelings and reactions, which can help with trust, abandonment concerns, and communication issues.

She also uses a client-centered stance that keeps the client's goals at the center of each session. Finding the right mix of approaches is collaborative; the therapist and client review what helps and adjust the plan based on needs and preferences rather than forcing one method.

Online therapy with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging offers flexibility. Video sessions work well for deeper conversation and skill practice. Phone sessions can fit into a work break or when bandwidth is limited. Live chat or text-based messaging can be useful for brief check-ins, step-by-step skill coaching, or when written reflection feels easier. These options make it simpler to keep continuity of care and to fit therapy into a busy life.