Welcome! I’m Dona – a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia. I have been working in the mental health field since 1994. Since that time I have worked in a variety of settings to include psychiatric acute inpatient treatment units, residential treatment units, community mental health case management, intensive in-home therapy services, outpatient therapy, and crisis response and stabilization. I have held positions of direct service, supervisory, managerial, and administrative in both the private and public realms of mental health practice. All of these environments provided me with opportunities to learn and grow as a mental health provider.

I believe everyone has the ability to make positive change in their life when given the opportunity to do so.

I have been an outpatient therapist since 2018 and have had the privilege of walking beside my clients as they worked their way thru grief, anxiety, depression, and trauma.

I have completed EMDR Training I & II as well as Cognitive Processing Therapy.  Both of these approaches to therapy have been shown to be effective in addressing and managing the symptoms to PTSD.

I am trained in Exposure Response Prevention Therapy , the most recommended evidence based approach to treating OCD, and am currently working toward certification and to expand my knowledge of this approach to therapy in order to further assist my clients who present with OCD.  I also have experience in using I-CBT to address OCD without the use of exposures while focusing on the reasoning process involved with OCD. 

My clients describe me as authentic, understanding, patient, and nonjudgemental. My clients feel validated when working with me. I strive to ensure you leave our session having learned something of value, feel honored in your journey, and having felt heard. 

Qualifications:

BA Human Services & Psychology – Virginia Wesleyan College

Master in Social Work – Norfolk State University

Board of Social Work License# 0904010797 Issued November 2018

ERP Certification completed September 2022, Cognitive Behavior Institute, Philadelphia, PA

Behavior Therapy Training Institute attended November 2024, International OCD Foundation

Member of:

National Association of Social Workers

EMDR International Association

International OCD Foundation