Donna Jeane Pappas, LCMHC

Donna Jeane Pappas offers practical, forward-focused counseling for people facing life changes and heavy emotions. She helps those who feel weighed down by grief, transitions, caregiving, career shifts, parenting challenges, or questions about purpose. Her style is respectful and nonjudgmental, and she centers the work on goals that matter to each person.

With more than 32 years of experience, Donna is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor - LCMHC - practicing in North Carolina. She has supported people through major health concerns, life-threatening illness, hospice and end-of-life issues, and the stresses of caregiving. Aging and geriatric issues are among her additional focus areas.

Donna describes her approach as more coaching-oriented than traditional psychotherapy. Sessions tend to be collaborative and practical, focused on clarifying priorities, building strengths, and taking concrete steps toward change. She draws on methods that encourage meaning, purpose, and a fuller daily life rather than only looking at symptoms.

Her work also addresses anxiety, depression, stress, grief, relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting and blended family challenges, career transitions, and burnout or compassion fatigue. Donna uses tools that help people manage emotions and make choices that fit their values.

Clients can expect direct conversations, goal-setting, and skills to cope with difficult moments. The emphasis is on usable strategies that support resilience and clearer decision making as life shifts unfold.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them and to choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, grief, and navigating life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and trying practical experiments to change behavior and mood; it often helps with anxiety, low mood, and stress.

Choosing the right approach is a joint process. The therapist will work with clients to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences, and adjustments can be made as the work progresses. Sessions emphasize collaboration, clear goals, and tools you can use between meetings.

The original biography does not specify which online session formats are offered, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example, it can remove travel time, allow a quick check-in during a break, or let someone continue therapy while relocating. These practical benefits can help maintain momentum during major life transitions and caregiving periods.