Donald McRae, LPC, LCMHC

Donald McRae is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) practicing in North Carolina. He has 25 years of experience helping people cope with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, addictions, and trauma and abuse. He aims to make therapy straightforward and practical so people can see progress in daily life.

He uses clear, skills-based methods in sessions. That includes cognitive behavioral tools to change unhelpful thinking and behavior. He also draws on dialectical behavior approaches to manage strong emotions, and mindfulness to slow down and notice what matters.

Donald combines those techniques with motivational interviewing and acceptance and commitment strategies to help clients find motivation and clarify values. He has worked in mental health clinics, on military bases, and in nonprofit settings. He has led therapy groups as well as provided individual sessions.

His style is direct, empathetic, and focused on practical steps. He welcomes people who are ready to look honestly at patterns and try new ways of coping. Sessions cover concrete skills, short-term goals, and what to practice between meetings.

People come to him for a wide range of concerns including parenting stress, caregiver strain, workplace issues, ADHD, bipolar disorder, sleep problems, and issues tied to aging or caregiving. He approaches each person as an individual and tailors methods to fit their goals and life situation.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and then take steps that align with their values. It is useful for stress, anxiety, and making behavior changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting thought patterns that lead to distress and testing new behaviors to get different results; it is often used for anxiety, depression, and sleep issues. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills for managing intense emotions and conflict.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, preferences, and daily life. That might mean trying a skills-focused plan for a few sessions, then adjusting based on what helps most.

Confirm the therapist's current session options before booking, as formats are not listed here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule and to keep continuity when life is hectic. It can also allow shorter check-ins, reduce travel time, and make attending sessions from a quieter spot or during a work break more feasible. Many people find that using structured techniques like CBT or DBT in an online setting still supports steady progress when paired with regular practice between sessions.