- 31 years experience
- FL LMFT
- Trauma and grief
About Wendy
Dr. Wendy Petzel is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 31 years of experience supporting people through stress, anxiety, relationship difficulty, trauma, grief, and depression. She focuses on practical help that people can use between sessions. She emphasizes each person's strengths and works with clients to build on what already helps them.
Dr. Petzel invites clients to name what matters most to them and to take small, manageable steps toward change. She aims to make sessions feel like a conversation rather than a lecture. Her style is collaborative and steady, offering guidance while respecting the client's knowledge of their own life.
Her work draws on several therapy approaches, including attachment-based methods, cognitive behavioral strategies, the Gottman Method, Imago relationship ideas, and psychodynamic perspectives. Those approaches inform how she looks at relationship patterns, past wounds that shape present behavior, and practical skills for emotion regulation.
She has supported people dealing with caregiver stress, first responder concerns, veteran and armed forces issues, post-traumatic stress, and isolation or loneliness. Dr. Petzel also helps people facing family of origin problems, codependency, and finding life purpose.
Based in Florida, she frames goals around what a person needs now and what will be useful later. To begin, she helps clients identify clear first steps and keeps the work focused on real life changes.
Approaches that translate well to online therapy
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape how people connect now. It helps people understand trust and closeness patterns and supports building healthier ways of relating. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on concrete skills to shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress because it gives clear tools to practice between sessions. The Gottman Method concentrates on communication and conflict skills for partners; it provides structured exercises to improve how people talk and solve problems.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will listen to your goals and preferences and suggest methods that fit your situation. That decision is collaborative and may change as progress is made.
Confirm the specific session formats before booking since current options are not listed here. Online therapy can make it easier to schedule appointments around work, caregiving, or other commitments. It can reduce travel time, allow shorter check-in meetings when needed, and let people join from a quieter place when that is helpful. Licensed professionals can still use the same therapeutic tools online, adapting exercises and homework to fit your daily life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
31+ years
Credentials
Florida
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, grief, and depression. Additional foci include caregiver stress, codependency, post-traumatic stress, and coping with natural or human-caused disaster.
How does she approach therapy?
Her work is collaborative and practical. She combines attachment-based ideas, cognitive behavioral strategies, relationship methods, and psychodynamic thinking to address patterns and teach useful skills.
What is her professional background?
She brings 31 years of professional experience to her practice and emphasizes building on each person's existing strengths. She aims to help people take small, manageable steps toward change.
Where is she licensed and based?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in Florida and practices from that state.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients schedule sessions?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.