Michael Pelaez, MS, MA, LAMFT

How I Approach Therapy:

I don’t believe people are broken. I never have.

I work with couples, individuals and families who are tired of spinning their wheels — people who are genuinely trying, but keep hitting the same walls. My job isn’t to tell you what to do or decide who’s right; It’s to help you understand what’s actually happening beneath the surface of your relationships, and to give you real tools to shift it.

My approach is direct and collaborative — I’ll meet you with warmth and without judgment, and I’ll also challenge you when it serves your growth.

I’ve been doing this work since 2015 across outpatient, residential, and substance use settings, and have served as a program director and contributed to behavioral health curriculum development. As a certified substance abuse counselor, I also have a specialty working with families navigating substance use — whether you’re the one struggling, or you love someone who is.

I also offer therapy services in Spanish! If your first language is Spanish, I am here to support you. Creo que cada persona tiene una historia que merece ser escuchada y comprendida. En mi trabajo como terapista, me enfoco en construir una relación auténtica donde puedas explorar tus experiencias con confianza, encontrar nuevas perspectivas y avanzar hacia el cambio que deseas. Mi estilo es colaborativo, respetuoso y orientado a resaltar tus fortalezas. 

I WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS, COUPLES, AND FAMILIES NAVIGATING:

• Feeling stuck in the same relationship patterns

• Trauma and its effect on relationships

• Disconnection, ongoing conflict, or communication that keeps breaking down

• Working through Porn Addiction

• Divorce, co-parenting, and blended family dynamics

• Substance use — personally or within the family

• Gender identity and the relational conversations that come with it

• Military couples and families

• Life transitions that have quietly shifted everything

• A desire for more clarity, purpose, and direction

A Little About Me

Outside the therapy room, you’ll most likely find me on a trail. Running and hiking are how I decompress and stay connected to myself — whether that’s the red rocks of Sedona, the peaks around Flagstaff, or the local mountains right here in Phoenix. Movement and meditation are core parts of my own inner work.

Before becoming a therapist, I spent 14 years in the Marine Corps, five years working as a firefighter, and a year as a correctional officer in Arizona. These roles placed me in high-pressure environments and gave me a firsthand understanding of stress, trauma, and what it means to show up for others. This experience provides me with a deeper understanding of the unique challenges faced by active-duty service members, veterans, and first responders, and allows me to offer services that are more attuned to their needs.

I’m also a father, and part of a blended family. I know firsthand the beauty and the complexity that comes with that territory — the love, the logistics, the moments that catch you off guard. Those experiences don’t just inform my work. They remind me every day why this work matters.