Donna Kaufman, LCSW

Donna Kaufman is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in New York with 14 years of experience. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and challenges like addiction or changes in life circumstances. She also addresses concerns such as body image, jealousy, caregiver stress, and isolation. Her approach is gentle and straightforward. She aims to build an open space where clients can say what they feel without fear of judgment. Sessions focus on practical steps people can try between meetings and on clear goals for change. Donna uses a mix of evidence-informed methods to match each person’s needs. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify values and act on them. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used when unhelpful thinking patterns are getting in the way. Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills are available for managing strong emotions. She also brings client-centered and narrative approaches to support how people tell and reframe their life stories. In practice this means listening closely, asking useful questions, and offering tools that fit daily life. The work is collaborative: clients and Donna decide what to try next. Donna works with people who want a more fulfilling life and who are ready to take steps toward change. She supports parents with parenting stress and addresses family of origin issues when they come up. To begin, people typically complete a brief matching questionnaire and schedule sessions based on availability.

How Donna’s approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people get clearer about what matters to them and take steps that match those values. It can be useful for issues like anxiety, life changes, and low motivation by focusing on concrete actions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors link together and offers practical strategies to change unhelpful patterns. It often helps with anxiety, mood concerns, and body image worries. Dialectical Behavior Therapy includes skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening interpersonal effectiveness for people who need steady emotion regulation tools.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Donna collaborates with each person to figure out which methods feel most helpful. She listens to goals and preferences and then suggests techniques to try, adjusting the plan as progress is made.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into busy days, cut travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It also lets people practice skills in their everyday routines and bring real-life examples to sessions. Licensed professionals can adapt these approaches for remote work so the focus stays on what will move a person toward their goals.