About Dana
Dana McPherson is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Oregon who helps people manage stress and anxiety. She supports clients dealing with relationships, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, and major life changes. Dana uses a respectful, down-to-earth style and aims to meet people where they are.
She adapts sessions to each person’s needs and focuses on practical steps that can make daily life easier. Dana draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to spot unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors.
Background and approach
She also uses mindfulness practices to help people calm racing thoughts and DBT skills for emotional regulation when feelings feel overwhelming. Her approach is client-centered; she listens first and works with each person to set goals that matter to them. Motivational interviewing helps when someone is unsure about change or needs a nudge to try something different.
Sessions are collaborative - Dana and the client decide what to try and track small changes over time. Dana has four years of professional experience and brings a calm, empathetic manner to sessions. She notes that she does not provide couples therapy.
People who prefer English language sessions can work with her in Oregon or as international clients when scheduling allows. Practical matters are handled clearly: she asks clients to respect scheduled appointments and has a no-show policy. If someone wants to begin, they can use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist’s availability.
How Dana Uses Practical Approaches Online
Client-Centered Therapy means sessions focus on the person’s experience and priorities; the therapist listens closely and helps shape goals that feel right for the client. This approach helps when someone needs support sorting out feelings or deciding what to change. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. In short sessions Dana helps identify unhelpful thinking patterns and tries small behavior changes to reduce anxiety or low mood. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers specific skills for managing intense emotions and improving coping, including techniques for distress tolerance and emotion regulation when anxiety or overwhelm spikes. Finding the best approach is a team effort. Dana will work with each person to test which methods fit their goals and preferences, adjusting the plan as progress is made. Motivational interviewing can be added when someone needs help finding motivation to try new strategies. Online sessions give flexibility. Video calls are helpful for face-to-face conversation and working through exercises. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit into a work break. Live chat or text-based messaging supports shorter check-ins, ongoing reflection, and quick coping reminders between longer sessions. These formats make it easier to schedule therapy around life and reach support from different locations.Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 4 years
- Licensed
- California, Oregon
- Languages
- English
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