About Donald
Donald Shawler is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with two decades of experience helping adults handle stress, anxiety, depression, and related concerns. He focuses on clear, practical steps people can use right away. His style is straightforward and respectful.
He combines client-centered listening with cognitive techniques to help people notice and change unhelpful thought patterns. Sessions often include learning specific skills for managing strong emotions like anger, and building new ways to respond under stress.
Background and approach
He also addresses relationship and intimacy-related concerns when they affect a person's daily life. Donald works with people facing addiction, grief, trauma, and major life changes. He brings experience with a wide range of topics including LGBT concerns, caregiver stress, and body image.
His background includes 20 years of clinical practice in Illinois as an LCPC. In session he uses mindfulness tools to help calm the body and bring attention to the present moment. He also draws on emotionally-focused ideas to notice patterns in close relationships and how emotions drive behavior.
The aim is to find simple, practical changes that make daily life easier. People who prefer a direct, skill-based approach tend to do well with him. He emphasizes collaboration and often sets manageable steps between sessions.
Work can include short-term skill building or longer-term exploration depending on what the person needs.
Therapeutic approaches that work online
Donald often uses Client-Centered Therapy, which focuses on listening, understanding, and helping people find their own solutions. This approach suits people who need a respectful space to talk through feelings and make decisions about next steps.He also applies Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people notice and change thought patterns that feed anxiety and depression. CBT breaks big problems into small, teachable skills such as reframing thoughts and testing new behaviors. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) is used when relationship patterns and emotional responses are a central concern; it helps people understand how emotions shape interactions and responses.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences, try methods that fit those goals, and adjust as needed based on what helps the person most.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video lets people work face-to-face when possible, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging allows short check-ins or ongoing support between calls. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, or travel.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Anger management
Also listed
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
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