01 · Who Danielle works with

Danielle works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and self esteem

Danielle lists 15 specialisms and 29 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Danielle chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Danielle's own words

What Danielle says about the work

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

Welcome to BetterHelp! My name is Danielle McDonald, and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Certified School Social Worker (CSSW) practicing near Buffalo, New York. I graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Social Work with my Masters degree in 2006 and have been working in the field for 17 years. During my career I have worked in a variety of settings, including inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment and substance abuse counseling. This experience has enabled me to work with many different populations including children, teenagers, young adults and adults.

My experience includes working with individuals with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, self-esteem, career challenges, substance use issues, and major life changes including learning how to adjust to new normals. I believe that the therapeutic alliance is one of the most important aspects of counseling, and is a very important catalyst for the change and growth that you would like to see. I am very easy-going and have a collaborative approach to therapy. I love to build relationships with others using empathy, listening and humor. Clients tell me I am a mindful listener, compassionate, and engaging.

In my practice, I tend to primarily use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client Centered Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy, but often adjust my technique to meet the needs of my client. I am flexible and willing to utilize the mode of communication that you are most comfortable with. In the beginning of counseling, I will discuss with you the needs or concerns that brought you to seek out therapy. From there we will work together to identify the goals that you would like to achieve.

It takes a lot of strength and courage to take these first steps and I look forward to working with you!

Danielle McDonald, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Danielle works

The 6 approaches Danielle lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Danielle lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Danielle'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 Danielle 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.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

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.

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.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Danielle 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 Danielle'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 Danielle at this point.

2. Naming Danielle specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Danielle 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 Danielle.

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

4 questions worth asking Danielle

Built from what Danielle actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Danielle's - Danielle 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.

• “With 17 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “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

LCSW

Licensed in

New York

Licence

NY LCSW 080182

Licence number

080182

Licence expires

30 Jun 2027

NPI

1891269965

Years in practice

17

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Danielle'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 Danielle. 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.