Alexis Arzuaga
MDiv, MA, LCMHC, LCASA, NCC
Alexis (or Alex) is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, a Nationally Certified Counselor, and a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist-Associate. He earned an undergraduate degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and received his Master of Arts Degree in Counseling from Wake Forest University. He is also currently enrolled in a Counseling and Counselor Education and Supervision doctoral (Ph.D.) program at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. He is a member of Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society where he helps promote the organization’s mission of “scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership and excellence in counseling, and to recognize high attainment in the pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in the profession of counseling”.
Alex entered the counseling profession to support individuals that are having difficulties facing life’s challenges. He believes that many people struggle not because they are not capable of overcoming challenges, but because they often do not have the awareness of self, support, and/or encouragement they need. Ultimately, these factors affect relationships, how an individual sees her/himself, and how they integrate into their environment.
Alex is also a clinically trained chaplain where he completed two years of training (three internships and a year-long residency) through a Master of Divinity Program and Clinical Pastoral Education. His experiences include working in major hospitals and a retirement community. In his residency he was part of the Duke University Hospital Palliative Care Service and a member of the Bereavement Advisory Board. Alex is a trauma-informed practitioner and received additional trauma-focused training through the Trauma Informed Professional Practice (TIPP) program offered through the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. In addition, he is a Master Level Practitioner of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and utilizes other protocols that are rooted in neuroscience. These approaches utilize the brain’s natural processes/functions to help individuals process and/or resolve the debilitating effects of trauma which are experienced through physical responses, emotional responses, and limiting beliefs of self. In conjunction with these protocols, Alex utilizes a variety of modalities, interventions, and techniques such as Adlerian Therapy, Existential Therapy, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Spirituality, and Wellness to name a few. When prompted by clients, Alex offers a Christian-Focused counseling.
His areas of clinical focus are varied but mainly focus on addiction, existential issues, first responders, grief/loss, medical providers, veterans, and victims of trauma. He is also fluent in Spanish and has worked with the Hispanic and Latin American population in various settings. In addition to counseling settings, he has multiple professional experiences which include commercial diver and deckhand, law enforcement, chaplaincy, and has volunteered as a firefighter, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Instructor, Emergency Medical Technician and Search and Rescue Technician. He is a Marine combat veteran with two deployments to Iraq. He has also worked in prisons and has been part of a crisis negotiation team. He has also worked in substance use treatment facilities in various roles providing treatment to clients in outpatient and inpatient clinics.
Alex’s goal is to provide a place of understanding for everyone to safely explore ways to work through life’s challenges by gaining self-awareness, assume responsibility for their life, identify areas of growth, and move towards changing patterns and behaviors to improve quality of life.
