01 · Who Dana works with

Dana works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and family conflicts

Dana lists 14 specialisms and 31 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Dana chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Dana's own words

What Dana says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I believe the human connection is one of life's most powerful gifts. Meaningful relationships can propel people to do great things and be the best version of themselves, which is why I approach every counseling relationship with the utmost respect and a humble heart knowing how brave people are to allow me into their innermost thoughts and feelings. My twelve years of diverse experience in the counseling field has taught me that establishing trust, non-judgment, and open dialogue is essential to best outcomes when working in the counseling relationship.

My graduate work was completed at The College of New Jersey, a CACREP accredited counseling program, with a focus in school counseling and substance use prevention, education, intervention, and referrals. My twelve years of field and professional experience include working with children and families in the school counseling setting in areas of concern such as academic, social, emotional counseling, and crisis intervention. Common counseling topics that surface for youth and families are emotional health concerns (i.e., anxiety, depression, anger management, etc.), loss and grief, self-esteem and self-image, relationship and dating issues, family conflict, substance use and abuse, college and career planning, time management and organization, post traumatic stress, and perfectionism, to name a few. My educational background, national and state certifications (National Board Certified Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Student Assistance Coordinator, and Masters in School Counseling), and professional experience have allowed me the opportunity to also work with clients of diverse backgrounds in a private practice setting and through contracted work within my state's Children's System of Care.

I intentionally work within a client-centered philosophy that encourages a variety of theoretical and practical therapeutic approaches to counseling as I genuinely believe there is "no one way" to approach every client, situation, or session. Theoretical practices that frequently guide my work with clients include Positive Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Humanistic and Systems Theory. I have also found that displaying genuine concern and regard for the well being of those whom I work with is the most effective way to ensure positive outcomes. I would love to work with clients whose commitment toward emotional growth and health compliment my dedication and enthusiasm to support and encourage them during their personal journey.

Dana Phillips, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Dana works

The 8 approaches Dana lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Dana lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Dana's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Dana runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Dana practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Dana's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Dana at this point.

2. Naming Dana specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Dana is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Dana.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Dana

Built from what Dana actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Dana's - Dana has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

New Jersey

Licence

NJ LPC 37pc00477200

Licence number

37pc00477200

Licence expires

30 Nov 2026

NPI

1356708218

Years in practice

10

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Dana's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Dana. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.