How Stephanie works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LMSW
- Licensed in
- Michigan
- Years in practice
- 10
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Stephanie
Stephanie Donley is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) who helps people manage stress, anger, anxiety, grief, and major life changes. She presents a calm, warm communication style and aims to make therapy feel respectful and straightforward. Her tone is kind and engaging for people who want practical steps and steady support.
She focuses on clear, solution-oriented work that draws on cognitive and humanistic ideas. That means identifying patterns that keep problems going and testing simple changes to see what helps.
Background and approach
Sessions emphasize strengths, everyday coping skills, and things people can try between meetings. Stephanie has about 10 years of experience in multiple settings. She has supported people facing cancer survivorship, end-of-life concerns, bereavement, and compassion fatigue, and she offers an affirming approach for LGBT clients.
She avoids stigmatizing labels and centers each person’s lived experience. Her methods include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness practices, and client-centered listening. These approaches are used flexibly to match a person’s needs and goals rather than as fixed rules.
Clients can expect practical guidance, coaching-style direction when helpful, and a focus on small achievable steps. Stephanie encourages exploring personal strengths and values to find clearer footing during stressful times. She aims to help people move toward more satisfying daily life.
Stephanie practices in Michigan and conducts sessions in English. She does not take international clients. Information about scheduling and session formats is provided during the intake and matching process.
What Stephanie works with
Everything Stephanie lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Stephanie's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- Coaching
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Divorce and separation
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Stephanie lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters most to them and take small actions toward those values while accepting difficult thoughts and feelings. It is often used for anxiety, stress, and ongoing life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting unhelpful thinking and experimenting with new behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety, anger, and low mood. It tends to be practical and skills-based for day-to-day problems.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, what has helped before, and what feels manageable. Together they try methods and adjust the plan so the work fits the client’s needs and preferences rather than sticking to a single technique.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls let people have a more face-to-face conversation, phone sessions work when video is not possible, live chat can be used for shorter check-ins, and text-based messaging supports ongoing coaching or quick updates. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or medical schedules and to keep progress moving between sessions.
Questions people ask about Stephanie
What kinds of concerns does Stephanie support?
She works with stress, anxiety, anger, grief, depression, coping with life changes, compassion fatigue, addictions, and many related concerns such as self-esteem and career issues.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is warm, kind, and engaging with a solution-focused, client-centered approach that emphasizes strengths and practical skills.
What is her professional background?
She has about 10 years of experience working in multiple settings, including supporting people through cancer survivorship and end-of-life care.
What credentials does she hold and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) and practices in Michigan.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English only.
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats does she use?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How are costs and scheduling handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, select Start Therapy, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to availability.