Stephanie Donley, LMSW

Stephanie Donley is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) who helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, self-esteem struggles, and major life changes. She supports those coping with compassion fatigue, addictions, relationship and intimacy concerns, sleep and eating problems, career shifts, and ADHD-related challenges. Stephanie also offers help around aging and caregiver strain, chronic illness, bereavement, and other complex life transitions.

Her style is warm, kind, and direct. She aims for a genuine and respectful conversation where people can speak without stigma. Stephanie avoids labels and focuses on practical steps that fit each person's life. She describes her approach as solution-focused, client-centered, and strength-based.

Stephanie draws on cognitive behavioral ideas and humanistic principles to help people notice patterns and try new ways of thinking. Mindfulness practices and skills from dialectical behavior therapy are used when helpful to manage strong emotions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ideas guide work around values and meaningful action.

In sessions she blends coaching and psychotherapy elements, helping people set goals and practice small changes between meetings. Her work with people affected by cancer, end-of-life concerns, and caregiver stress informs a compassionate, experience-informed perspective.

Stephanie brings roughly 10 years of clinical experience in varied settings to her practice in Michigan. She communicates clearly about expectations and next steps, and encourages practical experiments that can lead to relief and clearer direction.

Therapeutic approaches suited to remote work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying personal values and taking small, meaningful actions toward them while accepting difficult feelings. This approach can help with midlife questioning, career shifts, and finding direction after loss.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and test new ways of thinking and behaving. CBT is often useful for anxiety, depression, sleep and eating concerns, and managing stress in daily life.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, try out methods, and adjust techniques based on what fits a person's needs and preferences. Clients and the therapist decide together which strategies to keep or change.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and reduce travel time for those juggling work, caregiving, or medical appointments. Licensed professionals can also guide mindfulness exercises, behavioral experiments, and values-based homework that translate well to remote formats, helping people practice changes between sessions.