Aleena Hellebuyck, MA, CAADC-DP

Limited license professional counselor

Aleena has over 10 years of experience with children, adolescents, and families. She is skilled at play therapy with young children, and therapy for teens and families dealing with trauma, anxiety, identity exploration and addiction. She is also trained in the Gottman method and specializes in helping couples navigate all phases of relationships, providing premarital counseling, crisis management and therapy for distress and communication breakdown. She also provides discernment counseling to spouses who don’t share the same commitment to the relationship, and need help figuring out whether to remain in the marriage or seek divorce. Aleena’s clinical style is warm, curious, and collaborative, honoring each client’s unique story and capacity for growth. She is especially passionate about helping people reconnect with themselves, build stronger relationships, and live in alignment with their values.

Clinical Specializations

• Couples therapy
• Play therapy for young children
• Child & adolescent therapy
• Addiction
• Family conflict & divorce

Additional Expertise

• Expert in child abuse & neglect (testified in foster care cases for the State of Michigan)
• Juvenile drug court
• Adoption
• Stress management
• Criminality and re-entry

Education & Background

• Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Central Michigan University
• Limited Licensed Professional Counselor (LLPC), State of Michigan
• Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor – Development Plan (CAADC-DP)
• Former foster care case manager, State of Michigan
• Facilitator for IOP and juvenile drug court groups, Emmet & Charlevoix counties

Favorite therapeutic books

The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

This book illustrates how trauma reshapes both the mind and body, and why lasting recovery depends on more than just talking, it requires rebuilding safety, connection, and trust. It deepened my understanding of PTSD and reinforced my belief that healing happens through reconnection to one’s own body.

The Molecule of More, Daniel Z. Lieberman & Michael E. Long

I love how this book makes neuroscience feel relatable. It explains how dopamine drives our desire for more, more achievement, more novelty, more stimulation and how that drive can inspire, and yet overwhelm us. It gave me a deeper framework for helping clients navigate the tension between striving for growth and staying grounded in the present.