Donna Coakley, LCPC, LPC

Donna Coakley is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor with 26 years of practice experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles, and she addresses concerns such as parenting stress, sleep problems, ADHD, and addictions. Her tone is warm and interactive and she aims to treat people with respect and compassion.

Donna draws from client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral approaches, dialectical behavior ideas, EMDR, and mindfulness in her work. She shapes sessions around each person's needs and focuses on practical steps clients can try between meetings. Conversations are tailored to the issues people bring, whether that is grief, trauma, jealousy, or recurring patterns that cause distress.

Her background includes extensive experience with military populations across branches and with a broad range of life stresses. Donna uses that perspective to help people who feel overwhelmed by career demands, relationship strain, or trauma reactions. Over time she helps clients identify small changes that can improve daily functioning and emotional balance.

Donna holds LPC licensure in the District of Columbia and Virginia, and LCPC licensure in Maryland. She offers services in English and accepts international clients. To get started, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions based on availability.

She welcomes people who are ready to take first steps toward change and prefers working collaboratively to set realistic goals and track progress.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening carefully to each person's experience and working at the person's pace. It emphasizes empathy, respect, and helping clients find their own solutions, which can be useful for relationship struggles, parenting stress, and self-esteem concerns.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. It teaches practical skills for changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors, and it is often used for anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and some addictive behaviors.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, adds skills for managing strong emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness. It can help people who struggle with intense mood swings, impulsive behavior, or repeated relationship conflicts.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will review your goals, needs, and preferences and then suggest a plan. That plan may blend elements from different methods so it fits your situation and pace.

The profile does not list specific online session formats, so confirm current options before booking. In general, online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. Licensed professionals can adapt interventions like CBT exercises, mindfulness practice, and trauma-focused techniques for remote sessions, and they will help decide what works best for you.