Donna Coakley, LCPC, LPC

Donna Coakley is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor with 26 years of experience. She practices in the District of Columbia and offers a warm, interactive style that centers on respect and sensitivity. Donna focuses on practical steps people can use to feel steadier and more in control. Her approach combines Client-Centered methods with cognitive-behavioral tools and elements of dialectical behavior therapy. She uses talk-based work to help people manage anxiety, depression, stress, and sleep problems. She also addresses addictions, process addictions, and issues tied to trauma and abuse. Donna has a long history working with military members and their families from all branches of service. That background informs her familiarity with first responder and veteran-related concerns, post-traumatic stress, and the stresses that come with service. She also helps people coping with domestic violence, substance use, HIV/AIDS, and guilt or shame. In sessions she tailors the conversation and treatment plan to each person. She draws on mindfulness and EMDR approaches when they fit the goals. Practical skills, behavior changes, and building healthier communication patterns are common parts of her work. Donna aims to support people ready to make a change. She emphasizes collaboration and helps clients set realistic steps forward. If someone wants to address relationship strain, parenting challenges, or addiction-related difficulties, she creates a plan based on their needs.

How evidence-based approaches translate to online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the person in the room. It emphasizes listening, empathy, and building a trusting conversation so people can explore feelings and choices. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and offers concrete strategies to change unhelpful patterns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, teaches practical skills for managing strong emotions, tolerating distress, and improving relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods suit their goals and preferences. That decision can change over time as progress is made and needs shift.

The original biography does not specify which remote session formats are offered, so confirm current options before booking. Online care can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce commuting, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules demand it. Some formats can also be easier when camera use or bandwidth is limited. Licensed professionals adapt tools like CBT homework, DBT skills coaching, and mindfulness practices to work over distance so therapeutic tasks fit everyday life.