Donald Bliss, LCSW

Donald Bliss is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with four decades of experience in mental health and addictions. He speaks English and Portuguese and has worked across many settings, from outpatient clinics to inpatient hospitals and community agencies. He aims to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship and parenting concerns, and the strain of chronic illness and pain.

Donald keeps the work practical and person-focused. He listens to each person’s story and helps them identify small, useful steps toward feeling better. Sessions move at a steady, respectful pace and combine talking with exercises or reflections that fit the client’s life and goals.

His background includes both direct clinical work and program management in nonprofit and government settings. That range means he draws on many ways to think about problems and solutions. He has also lived and worked abroad, which informs his interest in intercultural issues.

Donald uses a mix of approaches such as client-centered work, cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and narrative methods. He looks for what matches each person’s needs rather than forcing a single method.

People who come to him often want help with grief, trauma, intimacy and sexual issues, identity and LGBT concerns, parenting questions, or making life changes. He encourages curiosity, realistic goal-setting, and discovering what brings more joy and meaning in everyday life.

How his approaches translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding a person’s priorities. In practice that means the therapist reflects what a person says and helps them find their own solutions, useful for relationship, identity, or life-direction concerns.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves identifying unhelpful thinking and testing new behaviors. It often includes short exercises between sessions and can help with anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes.

Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention skills to reduce reactivity and manage stress or chronic pain. People learn short practices they can use during difficult moments or when emotions feel overwhelming.

Choosing an approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and try methods that fit their needs and preferences. Over time they adjust the work based on what helps most, mixing techniques as appropriate.

The profile does not list specific session formats, so confirm the available online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, or choose shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It also lets people continue care when they are away from their usual city or dealing with health challenges that make travel difficult.