Drug & Alcohol Counselor, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Life Coach e Social Worker
Drug & Alcohol Counselor, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Life Coach e Social Worker
As a Registered Social Worker licensed in Ontario and Alberta, I provide online counselling and support across both provinces. She has extensive experience in mental health, sexual wellness, relationship support, and community advocacy. I am committed to trauma-informed, culturally safe, and anti-oppressive practice across diverse populations, including Indigenous communities, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, and clients exploring a wide range of identities, sexual expressions, and lifestyles.
With decades of education, professional practice, volunteering, and lived experience, I bring a unique blend of insight, empathy, and practical support. Her work is centered on empowering clients to embrace their authentic selves, strengthen relationships, and navigate life’s challenges with confidence.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1566147
Education & Professional Development
• Master of Social Work (MSW), Health Policy Program – final semester, focusing on systemic change, health equity, and evidence-informed practice
• Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) – Indigenous Studies focus with a minor in Gerontology
• Social Service Worker Diploma – foundational skills in community mental health, counselling, and client advocacy
• Ongoing Professional Development – sexual wellness, LGBTQ2S+ affirming care, kink-aware practice, relationship diversity, trauma-informed approaches, and complex mental health interventions
Professional Experience
•ACT Social Worker, CMHA New Liskeard – providing intensive, community-based support to adults with serious mental illness, including complex AXIS I diagnoses, working with some of the highest-need individuals.
•Indigenous Community Mental Health Support – collaborating with First Nations communities to provide culturally safe mental health and social support.
•Sexual Wellness & Relationship Support – offering online therapy through Sunrise Sex Therapy and private practice. Services are inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and relationship or lifestyle structures, including monogamous, non-monogamous, kink, polyamory, queer relationships and other lifestyle expressions.
Areas of Expertise
• Mental Health & Complex Cases – including AXIS I diagnoses, trauma, and resilience-building
• Relationship & Sexual Wellness Support – inclusive of all sexual orientations, identities, relationship styles, and lifestyle choices
• Substance Use & Recovery Support – culturally safe approaches, harm reduction, wellness planning
• Indigenous & Culturally Safe Practice – community collaboration, elder care, culturally informed interventions
• Strengths-Based & Trauma-Informed Approach – empowering clients to access their strengths, self-efficacy, and personal agency
What I bring to clients:
•A decades-long foundation of education, practice, volunteering, and lived experience, including raising 13 children (biological, adopted, and stepchildren)
•Empathy, insight, and practical guidance grounded in both professional expertise and life experience
•Inclusive, non-judgmental care for all lifestyles, identities, and relationship choices
•Empowerment-focused approach, helping clients thrive in relationships, sexuality, mental health, and self-expression
Personal Perspective & Values
Donna is a mother, wife, and experienced advocate whose life journey—from growing up in poverty and being a child of addiction to navigating teen parenthood and raising children with diverse needs, including twins with cerebral palsy and a Two-Spirit/transgender child—gives her deep insight into complex family dynamics and parenting challenges. She is a lifelong advocate for social justice, inclusion, and culturally safe practices, believing that wellness is shaped by community, identity, and lived experience. She approaches her work with compassion, integrity, and a focus on client strengths, supporting clients to build meaningful connections, embrace their identities, and live authentically.
Current Practice
• Online Therapy – mental health, sexual wellness, and relationship counselling across Ontario and Alberta via Sunrise Sex Therapy and private practice evenings and weekends. https://sunrisetherapygp.janeapp.com/
• Clinical Work in Community Agency– Social Worker supporting complex mental health cases, including AXIS I diagnoses.
• Sexual Wellness & Relationship Support – offering online, Sexual Health, sex-positive, kink-aware, and LGBTQ2S+-affirming therapy. https://sunrisetherapygp.janeapp.com/
- Laurentian University em 2025
- Northern College em 2022
