- CBT methods
- Trauma-focused work
- Expressive arts
About Donald
Donald Mattson is an LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor in Michigan with 20 years of clinical experience. He works with adults who are dealing with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, mood difficulties, and transitions in life and relationships.
He uses direct, practical methods in sessions. He offers tools that people can use day to day to manage anxiety, stress, and mood problems. He also brings experience with expressive arts and has published journal articles and a book on anxiety tools forthcoming.
In conversation he blends cognitive behavioral ideas with solution-focused and psychodynamic perspectives. He also draws on trauma-focused methods when past events are causing ongoing distress. Sessions focus on naming what keeps a person stuck and trying small, doable steps to change that pattern.
He aims for clear, honest work that sometimes includes a touch of playfulness to ease tense moments. The client and therapist look for practical strategies together and track what actually helps between sessions. That work can include exercises, thought records, and brief experiments to test new ways of coping.
Donald helps people facing caregiver strain, control issues, feelings of emptiness, isolation, and questions about forgiveness and guilt and shame. He also supports men navigating midlife concerns, those living with obsessive or panic symptoms, and people struggling with post-traumatic stress or seasonal mood shifts.
How his approaches translate to online work
Donald commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-focused methods in straightforward, practical ways. CBT looks at thoughts and behaviors you can try to change, often with brief exercises or thought records to use between meetings. Trauma-focused therapy helps identify how past events continue to affect mood and reactions, and then works on gradual, contained ways to reduce those reactions.He also draws on client-centered ideas that keep the work grounded in what the person wants to address. Figuring out which mix of approaches fits best is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk through goals, preferences, and what feels doable, then adjust methods as progress is made.
Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and avoid travel time. They also let people try exercises and skills in real life between meetings and bring what happens outside the session back for discussion.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
Michigan, Wisconsin
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does he work with?
He works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, and related issues such as guilt and shame, caregiver stress, isolation, mood disorders, obsessions and panic.
How would he approach feelings of guilt or shame?
He uses practical tools and conversation to identify how those feelings are maintained and to test small behavioral or thought changes that reduce their intensity.
What is his clinical background?
He has 20 years of experience and has published journal articles on expressive arts, as well as a book on anxiety tools forthcoming.
What are his credentials and location?
He is an LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor, listed as MI LPC and WI LPC, and practices in Michigan.
Does he work in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with him?
He does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What should I do to start a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.