About Donald
Donald Shawler is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with two decades of clinical experience helping adults navigate depression, anxiety, and a broad range of life challenges.
Background and approach
He draws on an integrative toolkit that centers the person first, creating a respectful, nonjudgmental environment where clients can explore their concerns and develop clearer paths forward. Mr.
Shawler combines client-centered listening with concrete cognitive techniques to help people notice and reframe unhelpful thought patterns that affect mood and behavior. He also offers practical training in anger management and supports work on relationships, intimacy-related issues, addiction, grief, trauma, and career transitions, among many other concerns.
His practice includes attention to subjects such as body image, communication problems, blended family issues, and the needs of those involved in BDSM and alternative sex culture. Based in Illinois and licensed as LCPC IL 180005917, he provides services in English and accepts clients internationally through multiple remote session formats.
Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support
Donald integrates client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy to guide work in remote sessions. Client-centered therapy focuses on empathic listening and creating an accepting space where clients can explore values and feelings, useful for emotional concerns like depression, grief, and self-esteem struggles. Cognitive behavioral therapy offers practical tools to identify and reframe unhelpful thoughts and develop behavioral strategies, which can help with anxiety, stress, anger, and addictive patterns.Choosing the right approach is treated as a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to understand goals, preferences, and the particular challenges they bring, then tailor techniques from these approaches to find the best fit over time rather than imposing a single method from the start.
Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, providing flexibility for different schedules and communication styles. These formats can make it easier to maintain consistency during life transitions, balance work and family commitments, or connect across distances, while allowing licensed professionals to deliver ongoing therapeutic support adapted to each client's needs.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Anger management
Also works with
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English