Dona Paknejad, MA, NCC, LPC, EMDR

About

Licensed Professional Counselor in Washington, DC. Works with Behavioral Issues, Coping Skills and Relationship Issues. Sees clients in person and online. Takes Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna and other plans. Accepting new clients.

Areas of expertise

• Coping Skills
• Relationship Issues
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Bisexual
• Depression
• Divorce
• Family Conflict
• Grief
• Lesbian
• Life Coaching
• Parenting
• Peer Relationships
• Self Esteem
• Trauma and PTSD

Types of therapy

• Art TherapyUses drawing, painting or other art-making to express and explore feelings, with a therapist trained in art therapy. No artistic skill is needed.
• Attachment-basedLooks at early bonds with caregivers and how they shape relationships and emotions now, and works toward a greater sense of safety and connection.
• Clinical Supervision and Licensed SupervisorsNot a therapy for clients: this therapist supervises other clinicians, for example those working toward their license.
• CoachingGoal-focused work on the present and future, such as career, performance or life changes, rather than treatment of a mental health condition.
• Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)A structured, practical therapy that looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions affect each other, and teaches skills for changing unhelpful thinking and habits.
• Compassion FocusedHelps people who are hard on themselves to build warmth and compassion toward themselves, as a counterweight to shame and self-criticism.
• Culturally SensitiveTakes a person's culture, identity, background and values into account, and shapes the work so it fits their life.
• EMDREye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. A structured trauma therapy in which a person recalls distressing memories while following side-to-side eye movements or taps.
• Family SystemsSees a person as part of their family as a whole, and explores roles, patterns and communication across the family rather than one person's problems alone.
• HumanisticA family of approaches, including person-centered and Gestalt therapy, that emphasize growth, self-awareness and a person's capacity to choose.
• MulticulturalRecognizes how culture, race, ethnicity and other identities shape experience, and makes them part of the work.
• Person-CenteredA warm, non-directive approach: the therapist listens with empathy and without judgment, and trusts the person to find their own direction.
• PsychodynamicExplores how past experiences, relationships and feelings outside awareness shape how a person thinks and acts today.
• Solution Focused Brief (SFBT)A short-term, goal-focused approach that spends less time on problems and more on what already works and the small steps toward what the person wants.
• Trauma FocusedTherapy for people affected by trauma. Puts safety and pacing first, and helps process painful memories so they have less hold on daily life.

More details

Sessions

Both in-person and online

Accepting new clients

Yes

Specialties

Behavioral Issues, Coping Skills, Relationship Issues, Anger Management, Anxiety, Bisexual, Codependency, Depression, Divorce, Domestic Abuse, Domestic Violence, Family Conflict, Grief, Infidelity, Lesbian, LGBTQ+, Life Coaching, Marital and Premarital, Men's Issues, Mood Disorders, Parenting, Peer Relationships, Self Esteem, Spirituality, Transgender, Trauma and PTSD, Veterans, Women's Issues, Workplace Issues

Insurance

BCBS PPO PLANS ONLY, BlueCross and BlueShield, Cigna and Evernorth

Fees

Individual sessions $165, couple sessions $195; sliding scale available

Payment methods

Discover, Health Savings Account, Mastercard, Visa

Ages

Teen, Adults, Elders (65+)

Works with

Individuals, Couples, Family

Communities

Bisexual Allied, Gay Allied

Ethnicity

Hispanic and Latino

Languages

English

Gender

Female

Education

The George Washington University

Education & qualifications