Donna Sarvela

Donna Sarvela is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in Utah and California with 13 years of clinical experience. She helps people who are stressed, anxious, struggling with addiction, coping with trauma or abuse, or facing depression. She also supports those dealing with life changes and questions about life purpose.

Donna uses a strengths-based, client-centered way of working. Sessions focus on what is useful to each person now. She listens, reflects, and helps people notice patterns that get in the way of daily life. Conversations often include practical strategies to reduce anxiety and manage cravings.

Her toolkit draws on cognitive behavioral ideas to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Mindfulness techniques are used to increase present-moment awareness and reduce reactivity. Motivational interviewing helps when someone feels stuck about making changes related to substance use or habits.

Donna also uses psychodynamic thinking to look at how past relationships and family of origin issues affect current choices. She pays attention to guilt, shame, codependency, and patterns that keep repeating. Work in sessions can include talking, skill practice, and reflection on interpersonal patterns.

People who come to Donna often want clear steps and honest conversation about next moves. She guides clients in setting small goals, testing new behaviors, and tracking progress. To get started, a short matching questionnaire is completed and a first session is scheduled.

How her approaches translate to online work

Donna integrates client-centered listening with cognitive behavioral techniques and mindfulness in online meetings. Client-centered work means conversations begin with the client’s priorities and move at their pace. CBT focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes to reduce anxiety and mood symptoms. Mindfulness practice involves short exercises to notice breath and body reactions, which can lower stress and increase clarity.

Finding the right mix of methods is part of the work. She will collaborate with each person to decide which approaches fit best based on problems, goals, and preferences. That process can include trying an exercise, reviewing how it felt, and adjusting the plan together.

Session formats are not specified in the profile, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It also lets people use mindfulness or CBT tools between sessions and bring those experiences back to discuss and refine with the therapist.