Practical facts
- Credentials
- LICSW
- Licensed in
- Massachusetts
- Years in practice
- 13
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Donna
Donna Welles is a licensed clinical social worker who centers sessions on the person in front of her. She draws on Client-Centered work and mindfulness tools to help people manage strong emotions, including anger, stress, and anxiety. Donna speaks plainly and helps people find small, practical steps to feel steadier day to day.
Donna has 13 years of professional experience in Massachusetts. She has supported people dealing with depression, life changes, grief, trauma and abuse, and struggles with self-esteem.
Background and approach
She also works with issues like sleep and eating problems, impulsivity, and mood disorders. Her sessions often use skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy to teach distress tolerance and emotion regulation. Mindfulness techniques are woven in to help people notice thoughts and sensations without getting swept up in them.
The focus is on useful skills that can be practiced between meetings. Donna respects each person as the expert on their own life. She helps people name their goals and then maps simple steps toward them.
Conversations are straightforward and aimed at building coping skills and better day-to-day functioning. She offers a mix of session types to fit different needs, and explains options up front so people can pick what works best. Donna aims to make therapy understandable and accessible for those feeling overwhelmed by change or strong emotions.
What Donna works with
Everything Donna lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Donna's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Coaching
- ADHD
- Co-morbidity
- Communication problems
- Forgiveness
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Young adult issues
Approaches Donna lists
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions
Donna uses Client-Centered Therapy to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space where the person's goals guide the work. This approach focuses on listening, reflecting, and helping people clarify what they want to change and why.She also applies Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal effectiveness. These practical techniques are useful for intense moods, impulsivity, and anger management. Mindfulness Therapy is woven into sessions to help people notice thoughts and bodily sensations and to pause before reacting.
Choosing the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences and then suggest strategies to try. Plans are adapted as things change and progress is reassessed together.
Online therapy formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is well suited for longer sessions and teaching skills that use demonstrations. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth or screen time is limited. Live chat and text messaging work well for brief check-ins, skill reminders, or when someone prefers not to be on camera. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, family, and daily life while using the therapeutic tools described above.
Questions people ask about Donna
What concerns does this therapist commonly address?
She works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, anger, grief, trauma and abuse, self-esteem problems, sleep and eating issues, and ADHD-related challenges.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Sessions are client-centered and skills-oriented, combining Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques and mindfulness to teach emotion regulation and coping strategies.
How long has she been practicing?
She brings 13 years of professional experience providing mental health support in clinical settings and community work.
Where is the therapist licensed and based?
She is licensed in Massachusetts with the credential MA LICSW and practices from that state.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available online?
She provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How does someone begin therapy with this clinician?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.