LPC, 14 years of experience
New to Grow
I am Donna Orsatti, PsyD, LPC, and Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and I am the founder of Courage 2 Change Counseling, a private practice dedicated to guiding individuals through healing and transformation. I believe therapy is a collaborative process, and my role is to walk beside you—offering support, compassion, and guidance—as you grow and evolve into the person you strive to become. Reaching out for support takes courage, and you don’t have to walk this path alone. At Courage 2 Change Counseling, I offer a safe and welcoming space where you can begin your journey toward healing and transformation. With over 15 years of experience, I specialize in working with individuals affected by substance use disorders, trauma, and co-occurring mental health conditions. My work is centered on helping clients navigate the challenges of recovery, address underlying wounds, and build healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Your first session is about getting to know each other. I’ll provide a warm, non-judgmental environment where you can share as much (or as little) as you feel ready to. We’ll talk about what brings you to therapy, your current concerns, and what you’d like to achieve. This may include exploring your personal history, important relationships, and any challenges you’re facing. We’ll begin to outline what you want from therapy — whether that’s reducing symptoms, building coping skills, working on recovery, healing from trauma, or simply having a supportive space to process life’s challenges.
I meet every client with genuine warmth, understanding, and unconditional respect. Creating a safe and non-judgmental space is always my first priority. I draw from a variety of evidence-based methods — including CBT, DBT, trauma-informed, humanistic, and strengths-based practices — and tailor them to each client’s unique needs and goals. I believe therapy is a partnership. I walk beside clients, helping them uncover their strengths, build new skills, and take empowered steps toward lasting change.
I specialize in working with individuals facing substance use disorders, trauma, and co-occurring mental health challenges. I have extensive training in helping people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or ready for meaningful change.
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a core part of my treatment toolkit because it’s practical, evidence-based, and produces measurable change. Skill teaching and cognitive work: I teach clients to recognize unhelpful automatic thoughts and cognitive distortions, test those thoughts with behavioral experiments, and develop balanced, evidence-based alternatives (cognitive restructuring)
Humanistic therapy emphasizes empathy, authenticity, unconditional positive regard, and respect for the client’s lived experience and autonomy. It assumes people are capable of self-directed growth when given the right relational conditions. In practice this looks like: Prioritizing a warm, non-judgmental therapeutic relationship. Focusing on the client’s present experience, values, and goals rather than only symptom reduction. Helping clients discover personal meaning, strengths, and choices that align with who they want to become. Encouraging self-exploration, acceptance, and responsibility rather than pathologizing.
I integrate the strengths-based approach into my clinical work because it empowers clients to recognize and build upon the abilities, resilience, and resources they already have. The strengths-based approach shifts the focus from “what’s wrong” to “what’s strong.” It emphasizes growth, resilience, and the belief that every person has the capacity to overcome challenges and move toward their goals.