DP 
About Dana
Dana Palermo is an Illinois-licensed professional counselor (LCPC) with 20 years of clinical experience helping adults navigate stress, anxiety, depression, and challenges with self-esteem.
Background and approach
She draws on long experience supporting people who are managing life transitions, concentration and memory concerns, and symptoms related to ADHD, and she adapts her work to the specific needs clients bring. Palermo emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in the therapeutic relationship and creates individualized dialog and treatment plans rather than using one-size-fits-all techniques.
She frames therapy as a collaborative process that supports clients in building motivation, confidence, and practical coping strategies. Seeking therapy is described as an act of courage, and Palermo positions herself as a supportive partner who helps clients move toward greater fulfillment and well-being.
Approaches and Online Care for Stress, Attention, and Life Changes
Two evidence-based approaches often used for the kinds of concerns listed in this practice include cognitive-behavioral techniques and skills-based interventions. Cognitive-behavioral work focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful thinking patterns and building concrete behavioral strategies to reduce anxiety and improve mood. Skills-based interventions emphasize practical tools for managing attention, memory, and daily coping such as planning, organization, and stress management methods.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each client to explore which methods fit their goals, preferences, and life context and will adapt the plan as progress is made and needs evolve.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which provide flexibility for scheduling and allow people to engage from locations that suit them. These options can make it easier to maintain consistency in care while using approaches that focus on concrete skills and conversation-based work.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does this therapist address?
Dana Palermo works with stress, anxiety, self esteem issues, depression, coping with life changes, and ADHD as primary concerns, and also has experience with a broad range of additional focus areas such as adoption and foster care, chronic pain and illness, and communication problems.
How would you describe the therapeutic style and approach?
Therapy is tailored to each person with an emphasis on respect, sensitivity, and compassion; dialogue and treatment plans are customized to meet unique needs rather than following a single protocol.
What is the therapist's background and level of experience?
She has practiced for 20 years, bringing long-term clinical experience working with mood, attention, and adjustment concerns across varied presentations.
Where is the therapist licensed and what are the credential details?
The clinician holds an Illinois LCPC credential with license number IL LCPC 180017455 and provides services licensed in Illinois.
In which languages can sessions be conducted and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English, and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available for online work?
Clients can meet by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, offering multiple ways to connect depending on preference and need.
How is cost handled for sessions with this therapist?
Pricing varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin working with this therapist?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Antisocial personality
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- First responder issues
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English