Bret Patterson
Practical support for stress and relationships
LPC Mississippi
- Experience
- 4 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Grief
- Approaches
- Gottman Method, Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Bret
Bret Patterson is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who centers his work on building practical tools and clearer communication. He focuses on everyday struggles like stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, and relationship challenges.
Background and approach
His tone is respectful and direct, with an emphasis on collaboration and realistic steps forward. Before becoming a counselor, he spent 25 years as a paramedic and clinical educator.
That background shaped his ability to stay calm in crisis and to explain difficult topics in simple terms. He draws on that experience to keep sessions straightforward and focused on what helps now.
Bret uses several approaches to match a person's needs, including Gottman Method techniques for relationship patterns, cognitive behavioral strategies to shift unhelpful thoughts, and client-centered listening to make space for each person’s story. He also integrates mindfulness and skills from dialectical behavior therapy when they fit the situation.
Sessions are tailored to the individual's goals rather than a one-size-fits-all plan. He typically works with people facing life change, relationship strain, parenting stress, grief, chronic illness, and burnout.
He aims to teach skills that can be used outside sessions so progress continues between meetings. Bret practices in Mississippi and brings four years of counseling experience to his clinical work.
He approaches each person with sensitivity and practical guidance, helping them take the next small steps toward greater well-being.
Approaches for online work and relationship skills
Bret often draws on the Gottman Method to look at interaction patterns and improve communication. That approach focuses on specific behaviors and habits that can make conversations safer and more productive in day-to-day life.He also uses client-centered therapy, which means listening closely and shaping sessions around what the person says matters most. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is another frequent tool - it helps identify and change unhelpful thoughts and the actions that follow, useful for anxiety, depression, and stress management.
Choosing the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try methods that fit those goals, and adjust based on what works. Goals and preferences guide which techniques are emphasized so the plan feels relevant and usable.
Online therapy offers flexible options: video calls for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions when bandwidth is limited, live chat for quicker check-ins, and text-based messaging for short updates or reflections. These formats make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, continue skill practice between meetings, and pick the mode that best matches each situation.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
4+ years
Licensed in
Mississippi
Languages
English