Zach Hubinger, LGSW, LADC
Online and in-person appointments available across Minnesota.
What Zach Helps With
Many people who reach out for therapy are stuck in cycles they cannot seem to break, feeling alone or judged for the things they do, and afraid of what life on the other side would even look like. Whether the cycle is addiction, a relationship pattern, depression, or something harder to name, the fear of change can be just as paralyzing as the pain of staying where they are.
Zach’s work begins from the belief that people do what they do for a reason. Even behaviors that look self-defeating from the outside are usually meeting a real need: relief, connection, a sense of control. Therapy focuses first on understanding that need without judgment, and then on the honest work of figuring out what has to change. He does not flinch from hard conversations, and he expects his clients to show up for them too. Clients often describe Zach as steady, direct, and genuinely curious. He brings warmth and honesty into the room and makes space for what is difficult to put into words or has not been taken seriously elsewhere.
Therapeutic approach
Zach takes an integrative, person-centered, and relational approach to therapy. His work draws from motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and narrative therapy, with a focus on helping clients feel genuinely seen and understood.
Clients working with Zach can expect to:
- Build a strong, honest therapeutic relationship
- Explore patterns, thoughts, and behaviors that are keeping them stuck
- Clarify what they want their life to look like moving forward
- Develop practical tools to support meaningful, lasting change
He believes that real change happens when clients are met with both honesty and genuine support as they define their own direction.
Substance use
Zach is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor with experience across a range of treatment settings. He works with individuals at all stages of change, from early exploration to long-term recovery.
His approach to addiction and compulsive behaviors includes:
- Meeting clients where they are, whether harm reduction or abstinence-based
- Exploring the underlying function of substance use or behaviors
- Addressing the emotional pain or unmet needs driving use
- Building accountability, trust, and sustainable recovery strategies
- Supporting clients in creating lives where the behavior is no longer needed
Zach works with individuals navigating early recovery, ambivalence about change, and the ongoing work of maintaining long-term recovery.
Frequently asked questions
Areas of Focus:
-
Substance use, addiction, and compulsive behaviors
-
Recovery and major life transitions
-
Trauma and its lasting effects
-
Anxiety, depression, and emotional regulation
-
Patterns that feel impossible to break, and shame that keeps them in place
-
Suicidal ideation and self-harm
-
Internal experiences that are difficult to articulate or that have been dismissed by others
Credentials and Training
-
Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor
