Dr. Nicole Donato, LPC

Dr. Nicole Donato is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 11 years of experience. She prefers to be called Nicole and brings a straightforward, approachable style to sessions. Nicole combines clear listening with practical tools to help people manage stress, anxiety, addictions, depression, and midlife concerns.

Nicole trained in psychology and holds two master’s degrees and a PhD in Psychology. She has worked in inpatient psychiatric settings, outpatient therapy, and as a social worker for a foster family agency. Today she also teaches at the college level and enjoys the problem-solving that comes with both teaching and therapy.

Her practice emphasizes a person-centered way of working. Clients can expect a genuine, empathetic relationship where the therapist seeks to understand life experience before offering ideas. Nicole also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help people spot unhelpful self-talk and change patterns that feed anxiety or low mood.

Motivational Interviewing and psychodynamic ideas also inform her work when useful. That means she draws on brief change-oriented strategies and attention to past patterns that still affect present choices. Sessions focus on what matters to the person and on practical steps they can try between meetings.

Nicole describes online therapy as an effective way to reach goals while fitting sessions into daily life. She invites people ready to examine grief, relationship strain, body image concerns, addiction, or life purpose to explore whether her style feels like a good fit.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Nicole works from a person-centered frame that prioritizes listening and understanding. In this approach she focuses on building a genuine connection, reflecting what a person says, and helping them name what matters most in their life. This is useful for people facing life transitions, grief, or low self-esteem.

She also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify activating events, negative self-talk, and the behaviors that keep problems going. CBT-style work online can include tracking thoughts and trying small behavioral experiments between sessions to reduce anxiety or improve sleep.

Finding the best approach is a collaborative process. Nicole will work with each person to combine person-centered listening with CBT tools or motivational strategies as appropriate. Together they set goals, try techniques, and adjust the plan based on what helps.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the specific session formats available before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow follow-up conversations that keep momentum between appointments. Talk with Nicole about how to structure sessions so they fit your routine and needs.