Dr. Donald Strauss , MD, LCSW-C, LISW

Dr. Donald Strauss is a mental health professional with more than five decades of experience. He combines a medical perspective (MD) with social work licensure (LCSW-C and LISW) to support people facing complex and persistent challenges. He often works with adults dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy concerns, and addiction-related issues.

His background includes long-term clinical work with people living with chronic medical and neurological conditions, such as degenerative disorders and life-altering injuries. He has also assisted helping professionals who struggle with compassion fatigue. This experience informs a steady, practical approach to problem solving.

In sessions he uses methods that focus on the relationship, present thinking patterns, and practical problem solving. Cognitive behavioral techniques are used to spot unhelpful thoughts and shift behaviors. Attachment-based ideas guide work on closeness and trust issues in relationships.

Dr. Strauss favors clear, goal-focused work that outlines alternatives when old strategies stop being helpful. He explains options in simple terms and builds step-by-step plans clients can try between meetings. That hands-on style is intended to make therapy feel useful from the start.

He provides care from South Carolina and conducts sessions in English. He accepts international clients and offers a range of online formats so people can choose what fits their life and schedule.

Approaches that guide online work and practical support

Attachment-based work looks at how past relationships shape current patterns of closeness and trust. It can help people who struggle with abandonment, attachment wounds, or difficulties forming secure bonds. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It is often used for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and managing mood or cravings.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their needs and goals. That might mean blending attachment ideas with CBT techniques and setting small, achievable steps to practice between sessions.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to keep therapy consistent. Video calls let the therapist and client use face-to-face interaction when convenient. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for a shorter check-in. Live chat and text messaging allow brief updates, tracking progress, or quick support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit regular sessions into a busy life and to keep working toward goals from different locations.