Dr. Donna LeitnerClinical Psychologist

About Donna

Dr. Donna Leitner is a licensed psychologist who earned a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Georgia. For more than two decades, she has practiced in private practice and university counseling centers. Her specialty has been young adults and adults, including athletes ranging from high school competitors to nationally ranked performers. Her work has addressed concerns such as grief, anxiety, injury, trauma, life transitions, depression, and performance psychology. Donna's therapeutic philosophy rests on constructivism, which views each life as a narrative in which the person is the lead character. This framework lets her meet clients at whatever chapter they are currently in. Earlier difficult chapters can be revisited and rewritten as they come up. The aim is for the present and future chapters to resemble what the client envisions. By offering a safe, nonjudgmental space, Donna asks clients to be as honest and precise as they can be. Through this relationship, she and the client examine how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence one another. Changing those components is what changes the story. In Donna's sessions, the client is the authority on themselves, and she is the professional guiding the therapeutic process. Together, they set the goals and determine the pace of therapy and change. Using suitable humor and techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-informed therapy, feminist therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy, clients become an essential part of the change they want.