Alana Donley

Alana Donley is a master’s-level counseling intern completing her Master of Science in Counseling at Southern Methodist University, where she is pursuing training in both professional counseling and marriage and family therapy. She completed her practicum training at the SMU Center for Family Counseling, providing counseling to individuals, couples, and groups.

 

Alana believes that meaningful change begins with feeling genuinely seen and understood. She recognizes that people are shaped not only by their individual experiences, but also by their relationships, families, environments, and the patterns they have developed throughout their lives. In counseling, she helps clients explore these patterns with curiosity and compassion while identifying opportunities for meaningful and lasting change.

 

Alana enjoys working with young adults and adults navigating anxiety, relationship concerns, self-esteem, identity development, and major life transitions. She is especially interested in helping clients who feel stuck in recurring patterns, struggle with self-doubt or perfectionism, or are working to better understand themselves and what they want from their lives and relationships.

 

Alana also has a particular interest in couples and premarital counseling. She helps partners identify the deeper patterns underlying conflict, strengthen communication and emotional connection, and develop greater understanding of themselves and one another. She approaches couples work without taking sides, creating space for both partners to feel heard while helping them work toward a relationship that feels more secure, connected, and fulfilling. Her couples work is informed by Gottman Method Couples Therapy and the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy, which incorporates attachment, differentiation, and developmental perspectives.

 

Alana’s approach to counseling is warm, collaborative, curious, and relational. She integrates evidence-based approaches with a systemic perspective and tailors counseling to each client’s individual needs. She values both insight and practical change, helping clients deepen their understanding of themselves while developing tools they can carry with them beyond the therapy room.