Dana McPherson , LCSW

Dana McPherson is an LCSW who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and relationship strain. She also supports people facing career changes, body image concerns, LGBT issues, and the challenges of family life. Dana writes plainly and meets clients where they are to build realistic steps forward.

She uses a mix of practical tools and listening. Sessions focus on clear goals, coping skills, and understanding how past experiences shape current reactions. That can mean learning ways to calm intense emotions, changing unhelpful thinking patterns, or trying small behavior changes that make daily life easier.

Dana’s approach draws on client-centered work, cognitive behavior strategies, dialectical behavior skills, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. She adapts these methods to each person instead of following one set plan. Meetings are collaborative and paced to what feels manageable for the client.

Her background includes four years of clinical practice and licensure as a LCSW in Oregon and California. She has supported people across a wide age range and with varied life stressors, including caregiving strain, chronic illness concerns like cancer, aging and end-of-life topics, and attachment or abandonment issues.

Sessions focus on clear, achievable steps. Dana helps people build skills for communication, reduce shame and guilt, and cope with transitions. She does not provide couples therapy and asks clients to respect scheduling policies around missed sessions.

Therapeutic approaches and online support

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and responding to each person’s needs, letting the client guide what matters most while the therapist reflects and clarifies. This approach helps people feel heard when they are facing life changes or relationship concerns.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. It uses simple, practical exercises to change unhelpful thinking patterns and try new behaviors, which can reduce anxiety and depression symptoms.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, teaches concrete skills for managing strong emotions and improving relationships. It includes techniques for distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and mindful presence that are useful after trauma or during high stress.

Finding the right mix of approaches is a shared process. The therapist will talk through goals, try strategies, and adjust methods based on what helps most. Clients are invited to give feedback so the plan stays useful and realistic.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to match different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation; phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging can fit tight schedules and let people send short updates between meetings. These options aim to make therapy more flexible and easier to include in everyday life.