Donna Lemaitre , BACP

Donna Lemaitre is an integrative counsellor with eight years of clinical experience and a registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), practising in private practice at Betterhelp. She holds a certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling and is undertaking advanced training in Psychotherapeutic and Integrative Counselling, supplemented by ongoing continuing professional development in areas such as trauma, abuse, anxiety, bereavement, depression, self-acceptance, low self-esteem, and confidence.

Donna works from a primarily person-centred stance, believing that each person is the expert in their own life. She draws on a range of therapeutic models and techniques, including psychodynamic approaches and cognitive behavioral therapy, and brings a trauma-informed and culturally aware perspective to her work. This integrative approach allows her to tailor sessions to each client’s needs, helping people build insight, increase self-awareness, and develop practical strategies to move forward.

Her background includes voluntary counselling roles with a mental health charity and three years as a bereavement support volunteer at a hospice, experiences that shaped her understanding of grief and loss beyond bereavement alone. Having been a therapy client herself, Donna appreciates both the challenges and the potential for growth that counselling can bring. She invites people considering therapy to get in touch to discuss what has brought them and to explore whether working together feels like a right fit.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Donna commonly draws on Client-Centred Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to guide online work. Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening with empathy and supporting people to find their own solutions, which can help with issues like low self-esteem, relationship difficulty, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy identifies patterns of unhelpful thoughts and behaviours and offers practical strategies to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.

She also incorporates Attachment-Based ideas when relevant, exploring how early relationship patterns influence present-day connections and emotional responses, which can be helpful for intimacy, abandonment, and family-related concerns. Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey - Donna works collaboratively with each person to identify what fits best based on their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting methods as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility: sessions by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to access support from different locations. Many people find these options increase consistency and convenience while still allowing meaningful work with licensed professionals and therapists who adapt methods to the online setting.