Nicole is an incredible human being. She has been my therapist for 3 years now. I look to her as if she is my life mentor and role model, guiding my growth, contributing to my understanding, and allowing me to become more of myself. She creates a safe space to feel, speak, and think. She's genuine in your words and feels with you. There are so many wonderful endless words I could say about Nicole. To summarize, I think she embodies what a great therapist would be: to be human, to be there with you and make you feel seen and heard.
Dr. Nicole Donato, LPC
Experienced mental health professional
Provides online counseling through BetterHelp
At a glance
Nicole is an experienced, licensed Mental Health Professional who specializes in affordable online therapy offered through our partner, BetterHelp.
- 4.5 stars
- Clients are very satisfied with Nicole. View 15 reviews
- Speaks English
- Offers Telehealth visits
- Licensed in New Jersey
Recent reviews
Every session with Dr. Donato is helpful. I am so grateful for her ongoing support and encouragement. She’s professional and gentle at the same time, providing superior insight and understanding as we learn to navigate through various transitions in life. Thank you Dr. Donato!
More about Nicole
- 11 years' experience
- Female
- LPC
Greetings!
My name is Dr. Nicole Donato. However, please feel free to call me Nicole. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a life-long lover of knowledge evident by my two Master degrees and PhD in Psychology. Additionally, I knew as a teenage girl that I wanted to become a therapist. Thus, since 2006 I have been licensed in the state of New Jersey as a Licensed Professional Counselor. My career has taken many twists and turns. I have worked in an inpatient psychiatric hospital as well as provided therapy services on an outpatient basis. Also, I have been employed as a social worker for a foster family agency. Currently I am a college professor. I absolutely love teaching! It is extremely gratifying to see students have a lightbulb moment of understanding occur. When I started college, I never dreamed of a day that technology would offer a conduit upon which effective therapy services could be provided. Thus, I look forward to working collaboratively with clients through the online platform to heal from their emotional disturbances.
How therapy works is often times shrouded in mystery. Thus, I would like to demystify the therapy process. From the person-centered therapy perspective, I aim to create a therapeutic alliance with my clients. This means that clients can expect for me to be genuine and empathetic. “Walk a mile in my shoes” is an apt saying that expresses how I work to understand my client’s life experiences. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is another theoretical orientation that I use to assist clients. The premise of CBT entails identifying activating events. These activating events may cause negative feelings when there are negative self-talk messages that a person tells themselves about the events. Thus, I work with clients to help them identify their negative self-talk messages that may be contributing to their emotional disturbances. Additionally, I draw therapeutic techniques from motivational interviewing and the psychodynamic approach.
I look forward to working with you!
Nicole
Specialties
Stress
Anxiety
Addictions
Eating disorders
Self esteem
Depression
LGBT
Relationship issues
Family conflicts
Trauma and abuse
Grief
Intimacy-related issues
Sleeping disorders
Parenting issues
Anger management
Career difficulties
Bipolar disorder
Coping with life changes
Coaching
Compassion fatigue
ADHD
Abandonment
Aging and geriatric issues
Body image
Caregiver issues and stress
Co-morbidity
Codependency
Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
Drug and alcohol addiction
Eating and food-related issues
Family of origin issues
Family problems
Forgiveness
Guilt and shame
Isolation / loneliness
Life purpose
Midlife crisis
Mood disorders
Panic disorder and panic attacks
Paranoia
Phobias
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self-love
Social anxiety and phobia
Somatization
Women's issues
Workplace issues
Young adult issues
Treatment Approaches
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
Licenses
Dr. Nicole Donato's National Provider Identifier (NPI) is 1245495456.
- LPC · New Jersey · 37PC00348500 · Expires November 2024
About online counseling
- Affordable.
- Pay a low flat fee.
- Convenient.
- Do it at your own time and at your own pace. Communicate whenever you feel it's needed.
- Available now.
- There is no waiting list and no calls to make. Simply fill out a short questionnaire and send your first message.
Online counseling, also known as teletherapy, is a method of delivering mental health services through digital means such as video conferencing, phone calls, or messaging platforms. It can be an ideal option for individuals who have difficulty accessing traditional therapy due to geographical distance, time constraints, or personal preferences like privacy and comfort. Many people find it easier to open up from the familiarity of their own space.
Teletherapy has been found to be highly effective, with studies showing that it can produce similar outcomes to in-person therapy, particularly for issues like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The flexibility and accessibility it offers make it a valuable alternative to conventional therapy settings.
Reviews for Dr. Nicole Donato
All reviews have been submitted by clients after seeing the provider.
Overall rating:
Nicole is an incredible human being. She has been my therapist for 3 years now. I look to her as if she is my life mentor and role model, guiding my growth, contributing to my understanding, and allowing me to become more of myself. She creates a safe space to feel, speak, and think. She's genuine in your words and feels with you. There are so many wonderful endless words I could say about Nicole. To summarize, I think she embodies what a great therapist would be: to be human, to be there with you and make you feel seen and heard.
Every session with Dr. Donato is helpful. I am so grateful for her ongoing support and encouragement. She’s professional and gentle at the same time, providing superior insight and understanding as we learn to navigate through various transitions in life. Thank you Dr. Donato!
You are the best!
I absolutely love meeting with Dr.Donato - the amount of progress I’ve seen in myself since starting sessions with her is incredible. I feel like I understand my thoughts and feelings better, and truly have the tools I need to get through difficult moments. Every week we uncover something new that helps me become a better version of myself. Dr.Donato is kind, nurturing, understanding, non-judgmental and thoughtful - truly an amazing therapist!
She's the best!
Nicole has been an incredible element in my life - I have been with her for over a year now and I have felt like with her guidance, I have grown so much.
Nicole is a wonderful counselor. She has supported me through many life changes and I’m better for it! I highly recommend her to anyone in need of support!
Dr. Donato is so great to work with. I always leave my sessions feeling more knowledgable about what I am feeling, and know that my feelings and thoughts are not concrete and can change. I no longer feel that I am my thoughts - I now understand that they can be adjusted, and will change if I am aware of them and make the effort to rebuttal them.
Dr. Donato is excellent to work with. She is understanding, respectful, and very intuitive to my needs and concerns. She has helped me reduce my anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more confident about myself. I enjoy talking to her because I know I am not being judged.
After trying to work with a couple different therapists, I knew that Nicole was the therapist that I wanted to work with within moments of our first session. She is gentle and welcoming, and she provided a safe space for me to express my feelings that I couldn’t have been able to express to anyone else at the time. I felt like she cared about what was best for me, and wanted to be there for me, and was happy for me when I was happy. Basically, she rocks!
Nicole, as she has said I should call her, is open and supportive. I’ve got confidence that she will be there for me no matter my issues and comes up with a way for me to navigate feelings. The work sheets help my brain remember how I do things. She is simple amazing.
Dr. Donato has been nothing but incredible thus far. I've learned a lot through our sessions and feel much more able to tackle my challenges thanks to her guidance. Very kind and affirming as well as empowering energy. Thank you
I've been working with Dr. Donato (Nicole) for a couple of months and I'm astounded at the amount of confidence I've developed and how much I now understand about myself. She's so good at listening and carefully guiding our conversations so we can focus on the right things to refocus headspace and my goals.
Doctor Donato is amazing! I was so stressed and anxious about everything in my life and I thought everything pointed to a specific problem, but after speaking with Doctor Donato, the problem I thought I had wasn’t really there. The problem after all was anxiety itself haha. Now I’m feeling so much better after all the video sessions and worksheets with great techniques that keep my mind healthy.
Dr. Donato has been patient, attentive, and kind in ways I haven't experienced from my previous therapist. She is always willing to listen and even change course if I need to, and she always has amazing insight and analogies that really help me grow.
Frequently asked questions
Does Dr. Nicole Donato offer telehealth visits?
Yes. Dr. Nicole Donato works with clients by exchanging messages, chatting live, speaking over the phone, or video conferencing based on what works for the client at that particular time.
What language(s) does Dr. Nicole Donato speak?
Dr. Nicole Donato speaks English.
How many years of experience does Dr. Nicole Donato have?
Dr. Nicole Donato has 11 years of experience.
Where is Dr. Nicole Donato licensed to practice?
Dr. Nicole Donato is licensed to practice in New Jersey.
Does Dr. Nicole Donato accept clients outside of the United States?
No, Dr. Nicole Donato does not accept clients outside of the United States.
Is online therapy as effective as in-person therapy?
Numerous studies support the effectiveness of online platforms in facilitating life changes. For instance, research published by JMIR Publications, conducted by teams from the University of Berkeley, UCSF, and SF General Hospital, found that "users of BetterHelp experienced significantly reduced depression symptom severity after engaging with the platform."
What treatment approaches does Dr. Nicole Donato offer?
Dr. Nicole Donato offers clients Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, and Psychodynamic Therapy.
How can I communicate with Dr. Nicole Donato?
Dr. Nicole Donato can be engaged in any one of four ways: (1) Exchanging messages, (2) chatting live, (3) speaking over the phone, or (4) video conferencing. You can use different ways at different times as you wish, based on your needs, availability, and convenience.
How do I get started with Dr. Nicole Donato?
Just tap the CHAT NOW button or tap here: A new window will open and you'll be directed to a simple form that will help start the conversation. Please note: It can take up to a few days to be matched to a therapist.
Mental health conditions are real, common, and treatable.
And recovery is possible.
When you tap CHAT NOW a new window will open and you'll be directed to a simple form that will help start the conversation. Please note: It can take up to a few days to be matched to a therapist.