About Donna
Donna Coakley is a licensed counselor with more than 26 years of experience. She holds MD, LCPC, and LPC credentials and practices in the District of Columbia. Donna is known for a warm, interactive style that aims to make people feel heard and respected.
She works with a wide range of concerns, including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, ADHD, addictions, and relationship or intimacy-related issues. Parenting and sleeping difficulties are also within her focus.
Background and approach
Her background includes work with military and first responder issues as part of broader practice experience. Donna uses practical, evidence-informed approaches such as Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, EMDR, and Mindfulness Therapy. Sessions typically focus on clear, doable strategies for managing symptoms and improving daily functioning.
She adapts the conversation and plan to match each person’s goals and strengths. Her work also addresses specific problems like communication difficulties, domestic violence, substance and process addictions, hoarding, jealousy, and guilt or shame. She helps people facing post-traumatic stress, personality-related struggles, and issues tied to HIV/AIDS or veteran and armed forces experiences.
People who choose Donna can expect straightforward talk, concrete tools, and a respectful tone. She emphasizes collaboration and practical steps so progress feels manageable. To begin, she guides clients through scheduling and matching so sessions fit their needs.
How therapeutic approaches work online
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on respectful listening and understanding. In practice the therapist reflects concerns back and helps people name what matters most, which can be useful for depression, relationship stress, and self-esteem struggles.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions. Sessions use clear exercises and homework to reduce anxiety, manage mood, or change unhelpful patterns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) adds skills for handling strong emotions and improving relationships through focused skill-building and practice.
Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and daily life to decide whether CBT, DBT, Client-Centered methods, or another approach fits best. That decision is collaborative and can shift as progress is made.
Online sessions offer flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video works well for deeper conversation and exercises, phone is low-bandwidth and fits busy schedules, live chat can be a shorter check-in, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, family, and other commitments.
Questions people ask
What kinds of problems does Donna help with?
How would you describe her therapeutic approach?
What is her professional background?
Where is she based and what credentials does she hold?
Are sessions offered in other languages or internationally?
What session formats are available?
How is cost handled for sessions?
How do I get started with therapy?
What this counselor works with
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Communication problems
- Depression
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family conflicts
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Intimacy-related issues
- Jealousy
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 26 years
- Licensed
- District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia
- Languages
- English