- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Mindfulness techniques
About Dawn
Dawn Whitehead is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Rhode Island with 20 years of experience. She works with people facing stress and anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, and LGBT-related concerns. She also addresses anger management and helps with coping during life transitions.
She uses clear, practical conversations to help people sort through what feels overwhelming. Sessions often focus on specific skills and steps clients can try between meetings. Dawn draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy to help with thinking patterns, emotional regulation, and impulsive reactions.
Mindfulness techniques are used to ground attention and reduce reactivity. Solution-Focused Therapy helps set short-term goals and track small changes. Trauma-Focused Therapy is applied when past events continue to cause distress, with attention to pacing and safety.
People come to her with a wide range of concerns beyond mood and anxiety, including body image, guilt and shame, obsessive or compulsive behaviors, panic attacks, and relationship or polyamory questions. She also supports those dealing with emptiness, abandonment, and identity-related stress such as gender dysphoria.
Her approach is collaborative and straightforward. Dawn and the client work out what to prioritize and which techniques to try. Practical exercises, short homework tasks, and repeated check-ins help track progress and adjust the plan as needed.
How therapeutic approaches are used in online sessions
CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with practical experiments. It is often used to address anxiety, depression, guilt, and repetitive thinking patterns. DBT, or Dialectical Behavior Therapy, teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills to reduce impulsive reactions and intense emotional ups and downs.Mindfulness Therapy trains attention to the present moment and encourages noticing thoughts and feelings without immediate reaction. That can help reduce reactivity linked to shame, panic, or compulsive urges. Dawn uses these approaches to offer concrete tools clients can try between sessions and to shape what happens in the work together.
Choosing the right approach is part of the process. Dawn will collaborate with each client to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That discussion usually happens in early sessions and is revisited as progress is tracked.
The biography does not specify session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce time spent traveling. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises and homework to an online rhythm so progress stays practical and manageable.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
Rhode Island
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of issues does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, LGBT-related concerns, grief, eating and self-esteem issues, and mood disorders among other concerns.
How does she approach guilt and shame?
She uses practical conversations and evidence-based techniques to address guilt and shame, drawing on CBT, DBT, and mindfulness to change patterns and manage emotions.
What is her clinical background and experience?
She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 20 years of experience helping people manage anxiety, depression, trauma, and related issues.
Where is she licensed to practice?
She holds an LMHC credential and is licensed in Rhode Island.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with clients outside the United States?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
What formats are used for sessions?
Session formats are not specified in the biography; confirm current session options before booking.
How does the subscription and getting started process work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.