3 Best Marriage Counselors in Gainesville, FL

“Alicia M. Pfahler is a licensed mental health counselor and she is the founder and clinical director of Alicia Pfahler Counseling, Inc., and Restoring Hope Counseling Center. With over 22 years of experience, Alicia specializes in trauma-informed care, particularly focusing on adoption and foster care issues, attachment, abuse recovery, and fostering healthy relationships. She provides professional mental health counseling, family therapy, child and adolescent therapy, and more. Alicia is a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner and educator. Her passion is to encourage and equip families on topics of relationships, parenting, faith, discipleship, community, and emotionally healthy spirituality.”

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“Mike Evans is a licensed mental health counselor based in Gainesville, Florida, specializing in relationship and couples counseling. His approach is structured and goal-oriented, aiming to help couples reconnect, improve communication, and address conflicts effectively. Mike Evans has been practicing as a licensed mental health counselor since 2013. He emphasizes a structured counseling process that includes a relationship pre-assessment, setting 2–3 focused goals, and incorporating homework such as videos, exercises, and worksheets between sessions. His aim is to provide clarity and accountability, helping couples make meaningful changes in their relationships. Evans offers both in-person and online counseling sessions for individuals, couples, and families. Currently, he is practicing at Learning Curve Counseling.”

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“Leif Stringer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Gainesville, Florida, specializing in relationship and communication counseling. Leif holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from Edinboro University, graduating in 2020. He is a certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication and has extensive training in Emotionally Focused Therapy. His approach integrates trauma-informed care, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Compassion-Focused Therapy. Leif is actively involved in the Gainesville Nonviolent Communication (GNVC) community, co-hosting workshops and practice groups aimed at fostering compassionate communication. Leif provides both in-person and online counseling for individuals, couples, and families. Presently, he is practicing at Leif Stringer Relationship & Communication Counseling.”

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