- Emotionally-Focused Therapy
- ACT and CBT methods
- 35 years experience
About Donna
Donna Smith is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in New York with 35 years of clinical experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addictions, relationship concerns, and trauma and abuse. Donna also supports clients dealing with intimacy issues, parenting strain, ADHD, and compassion fatigue.
Donna favors clear, person-focused sessions where clients talk about what matters most right now. She uses approaches that include Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Sessions emphasize emotions, patterns in relationships, and practical skills for coping.
Her background includes a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Rochester and a long career across mental health settings. Donna describes her role as a collaborative guide who joins clients in working toward the changes they want. She brings experience and an interest in creative writing to the work, sometimes using narrative elements to help people name their experiences.
In sessions she helps people recognize relationship patterns, manage strong emotions, and build everyday coping tools. Conversations are straightforward and paced to the client’s needs. Donna invites clients to explore attachment concerns, abandonment feelings, codependency, communication problems, and other relational themes.
People considering therapy can expect a practical, emotionally aware approach that balances feeling-based work and skill-building. The focus is on understanding what’s happening in clients’ lives now and finding steps they can try between sessions. To begin, prospective clients use the site’s matching process and schedule an initial meeting.
How EFT, ACT and CBT are used in online work
Donna integrates Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) to help people name and work with painful emotions and patterns in relationships. EFT focuses on emotions and attachment experiences to make difficult feelings clearer and more manageable.She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps people notice thoughts without getting stuck in them and choose actions that match personal values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used for practical skill-building, like changing unhelpful thinking patterns and developing coping strategies for anxiety or depression.
Choosing the right approach is part of the process. Donna works collaboratively to figure out which methods fit a client’s goals and preferences, and she adjusts the balance of emotion-focused and skills-based work over time.
Confirm the current session options before booking, as formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Many people find that meeting with a licensed professional online helps them practice new skills in everyday settings and carry changes into routine life.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
35+ years
Listed in
New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addictions, trauma and abuse, intimacy issues, parenting strain, ADHD, and related concerns listed in her specialties.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Donna uses an emotionally focused, person-centered style that also draws on CBT, ACT, and DBT skills to address emotions and day-to-day coping.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 35 years of experience working in a variety of mental health settings and in one-on-one counseling.
What are her credentials and location?
She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) licensed in New York and trained at the University of Rochester.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she accept international clients?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies with location and sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.