Colleen Tretton, LPC

Colleen Tretton is an Arizona-based licensed professional counselor with nine years of clinical experience supporting people through trauma, addiction, relationship challenges, anxiety, depression, and intimacy-related concerns. She combines practical, evidence-informed strategies with a mind-body approach to help people reconnect to their feelings, restore meaningful relationships, and regain interest in life.

Colleen recognizes how traumatic experiences can leave a person feeling stuck, irritable, disconnected, and exhausted, and she works to gently guide individuals out of that fog. Her practice addresses a wide range of issues including stress, addictions, trauma and abuse, post-traumatic stress, sexual assault and abuse, social anxiety, and first responder issues, as well as relationship and family of origin dynamics such as attachment difficulties, abandonment, codependency, guilt, and shame.

She integrates therapies tailored to each person - combining strategies from cognitive behavioral approaches, dialectical behavior methods, mindfulness, solution-focused work, and somatic techniques - to target thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and bodily responses. Colleen emphasizes collaboration, listening, and steady support so that change feels possible and sustainable. She holds the credential LPC, which stands for Licensed Professional Counselor, and uses that training to help people make meaningful shifts in their lives.

Colleen aims to create a therapeutic experience where painful layers are acknowledged and gradually released, allowing individuals to rediscover joy and a clearer connection to themselves and others.

Approaches for online healing and connection

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to anxiety, depression, stress, and addictive coping. It offers practical skills for managing moods and making small changes that add up over time.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, emphasizes emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and improved interpersonal effectiveness. It can be especially useful when intense emotions, relationship difficulties, or self-destructive behaviors are present, and it teaches concrete tools to navigate those moments.

Mindfulness Therapy cultivates present-moment awareness and an observing stance toward thoughts and sensations, which can reduce reactivity and support recovery after trauma or during periods of emptiness and shame. Colleen draws from these approaches to tailor treatment to each person’s needs rather than using a one-size-fits-all model. She works collaboratively with people to determine which methods align with their goals, preferences, and the concerns they bring to therapy.

Online sessions via video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging add flexibility for those balancing work, family, or other responsibilities. These options make it easier to maintain regular appointments, try different communication styles, and access a licensed professional from wherever the person is located in Arizona.