Dr. Nicole Donato , LPC

Dr. Nicole Donato uses client-centered and cognitive-behavioral approaches to help people facing anxiety, stress, depression, grief, and challenges related to eating, addiction, and self-esteem. She practices from New Jersey and brings 11 years of counseling experience to online work. Nicole emphasizes a warm, honest connection and practical steps clients can try between sessions.

Nicole earned two master’s degrees and a PhD in psychology and has been licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in New Jersey since 2006. Her career includes work in an inpatient psychiatric hospital, outpatient therapy settings, and as a social worker with a foster family agency. She also teaches at the college level and values learning as part of therapy.

In sessions she combines person-centered listening with cognitive-behavioral tools. That means she listens closely to understand a person’s story, then helps identify unhelpful thoughts and small behavior changes that can reduce distress. She also uses motivational interviewing to support readiness for change and psychodynamic ideas to look at patterns that repeat over time.

Clients can expect straightforward conversation, gentle curiosity about life history, and collaborative goal-setting. Nicole is comfortable addressing issues like trauma and abuse, intimacy concerns, parenting strains, career stress, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. She also works with people dealing with grief, bipolar mood concerns, and substance-related problems.

Her online practice offers several ways to connect and adapt work to daily life. Nicole aims to demystify therapy so people know what to expect and can take practical steps toward feeling better.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

This therapist often uses client-centered therapy to create a respectful, empathic space where a person’s story is heard. That approach focuses on understanding a person’s experience and building trust so goals can be set together.

She also uses cognitive-behavioral therapy, which looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. CBT offers concrete strategies to identify negative self-talk and try small behavioral changes that can reduce anxiety, improve sleep, or change eating patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to pick methods that match goals, needs, and preferences. That may mean starting with listening and goal-setting, then adding CBT exercises or motivational interviewing to support change.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy fit into busy lives. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions can be useful when bandwidth is limited, live chat or text messaging work well for quick check-ins or when writing feels easier. These options help people access care with more flexibility around work, caregiving, or transportation.