- Anger management skills
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- DBT and mindfulness
About Dawn
Dawn Whitehead is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Rhode Island with 20 years of experience. She helps people handle stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. She also supports LGBT-related concerns and teaches anger management skills.
She usually starts by asking what feels hardest right now. Sessions focus on practical skills people can use between meetings. That can mean learning ways to notice triggers, try different thinking patterns, and practice short exercises to calm intense feelings.
Dawn uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to look at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. She also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy to teach emotion regulation and coping skills. Mindfulness techniques are included to help people notice reactions without getting swept up in them.
For people processing trauma, she applies trauma-focused methods to help reduce the hold of painful memories and reactions. Solution-Focused techniques are used when someone wants quick, concrete changes in daily life and relationships.
Her style is direct and practical. Sessions are organized around real situations from work or home. Clients can expect clear strategies, short skill practices, and follow-up tasks to try between meetings.
People who want to address anger, resentment, or repeated outbursts will find an emphasis on learning new responses rather than blaming. Dawn also helps with related issues like grief, body image, compulsive behaviors, and mood disorders.
How therapeutic approaches guide online work
CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, focuses on the connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions. Online sessions using CBT usually involve identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and practicing new responses to everyday triggers like workplace stress or relationship conflict.Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. In an online setting this can mean learning step-by-step skills for calming down during anger spikes and practicing short coping exercises between meetings.
Mindfulness Therapy trains simple attention skills so people can notice tension and reactions early. These practices are often taught as brief exercises clients can use at work, during commutes, or at home to reduce escalation.
Choosing the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to decide which methods fit their goals, current challenges, and day-to-day routine. That plan can change as progress is made.
The practical upside of online sessions is flexibility. Confirm the exact session formats before booking, since formats are not listed in the biography. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let clients practice skills in the places where problems actually happen.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
Rhode Island
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, anger, LGBT issues, relationship strain, grief, eating concerns, self-esteem, bipolar mood issues, and coping with life changes.
What therapeutic style does she use?
She blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, solution-focused work, and trauma-focused methods to teach practical skills and coping strategies.
How long has she been practicing?
She has about 20 years of experience working with people on a range of emotional and behavioral concerns.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is an LMHC licensed in Rhode Island and practices from that state.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people from other countries work with her?
She is not currently accepting international clients.
How are sessions arranged and what formats are used?
Please confirm current session options before booking, as the biography does not list specific formats.
How does billing and getting started work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.