Donna Altepeter

Donna Altepeter is a licensed clinical social worker with deep experience helping people navigate strong emotions. She focuses on practical support for stress, anxiety, grief, depression, anger, and relationship challenges. Donna believes people can change and works alongside them to find what helps in everyday life.

She uses a client-centered stance where the person’s goals guide the work. That means listening first, then offering tools that fit each individual. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ideas are used to notice unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. Mindfulness practices are offered to build calm and reduce reactivity.

Donna trained at Saint Louis University and completed a Master of Social Work with a community mental health concentration. She has over a decade of recent practice as an LCSW in Wisconsin and decades of broader professional experience. Her background includes grief work, serious illness, life transitions, anxiety, and depression.

Her style mixes teaching and learning. She draws on years of university teaching in social work to explain ideas clearly and practice skills together. Sessions often include simple exercises, gentle reflection, and steps to try between meetings.

People come to Donna for help with parenting stress, caregiving strain, addiction concerns, loneliness, career shifts, and coping after loss. She aims to make therapy a collaborative, down-to-earth process focused on real-life change and steady progress.

How Donna’s approaches translate to online work

Donna often blends client-centered listening with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness Therapy. Client-Centered Therapy means the therapist follows the person’s goals, asks questions, and helps shape the plan together. This approach supports issues like life transitions, grief, and relationship concerns by keeping the work focused on what matters most to the client.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people notice thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and then try new ways of responding. It is practical for anxiety, depression, anger, and coping with change. Mindfulness Therapy teaches present-moment awareness and simple exercises to reduce reactivity and improve sleep and stress management.

Choosing the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try methods that fit, and adjust as needed. That collaborative process helps match techniques to the person’s needs and preferences rather than assuming one path up front.

Because specific session formats are not listed in the profile, confirm available options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people practice skills in the environments where they live and work, which can help transfer what is learned in session into daily life.