Stephanie Donley, LMSW

Stephanie Donley, LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker), brings a decade of experience supporting people through life transitions, loss, and persistent stress. She has worked in multiple settings advocating, coaching, and guiding individuals who struggle with anxiety, depression, isolation and loneliness, grief and bereavement, end-of-life concerns and hospice, compassion fatigue, forgiveness, self-care, self-esteem, life purpose, and coping with major changes. She has also supported people at various stages of cancer survivorship and those facing end-of-life matters.

Stephanie strives to make the therapeutic experience genuine, respectful, positive, and safe, using a warm, kind, and engaging communication style. She avoids stigmatizing labels and describes her practice as LGBTQ+ affirming, noting she remains open to ongoing learning about LGBTQ+ experiences. Her work is solution focused, client centered, and strength based, drawing heavily from cognitive behavioral and humanistic therapies.

Stephanie believes people have a strong capacity to heal, grow, and learn from both struggles and successes. In therapy she helps clients discover lessons, develop new ways of thinking, and build practical coping skills. She encourages clients to recognize and use their unique gifts to create a more peaceful, joyful, and fulfilling life, and she commends those who take the first step toward change.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Stephanie uses client-centered therapy to place the individual at the heart of the work, creating a respectful, empathetic space where a person’s values and goals guide progress. This approach helps with self-esteem, life purpose, relationship concerns, and navigating major transitions.

She also draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT is useful for managing anxiety, depression, stress, and developing concrete coping skills.

Additionally, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) informs her work by encouraging acceptance of difficult feelings while committing to actions that align with personal values - a method that can aid in coping with loss, chronic stress, and life changes.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Stephanie works with each client to explore which methods feel most helpful and adjusts the plan based on the client’s needs, goals, and preferences.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call or phone, and shorter check-ins are available via live chat or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity of care during transitions, and access licensed professionals from different locations.