Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP

Neuropsychology & Trauma

Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, is a licensed psychologist, author, clinical supervisor, consultant, and professional educator specializing in neuropsychology, psychological assessment, anxiety disorders, trauma recovery, post-traumatic stress, dementia care, and complex behavioral concerns. Her current professional profiles also identify her as a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional and an Evergreen Certified Dementia Care Specialist.

Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, works across psychotherapy, psychological testing, neuropsychological assessment, professional supervision, and clinician education. Her integrative approach considers how cognition, memory, emotion, behavior, physiological arousal, neurological functioning, medical factors, relationships, and environmental stress may interact. Rather than applying one method to every client, she adapts treatment to the person’s clinical needs, goals, strengths, preferences, and response to care.

Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, has experience serving children, adolescents, adults, couples, families, older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, and clients facing complicated psychological or cognitive concerns. Her educational work helps clinicians translate neuroscience into responsible assessment, psychoeducation, fear-reduction strategies, trauma treatment, and individualized care without reducing a person to a diagnosis or an oversimplified explanation of brain function.

Professional Background

Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, is currently listed as a licensed psychologist, Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional, Evergreen Certified Dementia Care Specialist, and supervisor with the Donarski Center for Mental Health Counseling. She founded and formerly owned Family Therapy & Development Centers, Inc., the organization that later became the Donarski Center under new ownership. Her present work includes therapy, professional supervision, and psychological and neuropsychological evaluation.

Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, also serves as GuideStar Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Nursing Science at Saint Mary’s College. Her institutional profile identifies geriatric neuropsychiatry, neuropsychological assessment, anxiety, trauma, panic, post-traumatic stress, dementia care, and behavioral concerns among her professional areas. This academic affiliation connects her clinical experience with education focused on the mental-health and cognitive needs of older adults.

Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, conducts psychological and neuropsychological evaluations across the lifespan. Her assessment work may examine attention, memory, processing speed, executive functioning, learning, emotional regulation, adaptive functioning, and behavior. These evaluations can help clarify the possible contribution of developmental, psychological, medical, neurological, educational, and environmental factors to a client’s difficulties.

Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, also evaluates concerns involving attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, cognitive decline, head injury, emotional disorders, and complex behavior. When educational questions are involved, assessment findings may help inform Individualized Education Programs, Section 504 accommodations, behavioral planning, referrals, and communication among families, schools, and healthcare professionals.

Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, uses an integrative treatment approach that may draw from neuroscience-informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, exposure-based methods, mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems–informed work, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, interoceptive strategies, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Intervention selection depends on assessment, clinical appropriateness, informed consent, and the client’s treatment goals.

Janene M. Donarski, PhD, LP, has also provided forensic psychology consultation in matters involving psychological functioning, neuropsychological concerns, guardianship, disability, custody, and legal decision-making. Forensic services differ from psychotherapy because the purpose of the evaluation, confidentiality limits, documentation expectations, and intended audience must be clearly defined from the beginning.

Dr. Donarski is the author of Anxiety & Trauma Recovery Book: Using a Neuroscience-Informed Treatment Response to Healing. The book explains anxiety and trauma responses through a neuroscience-informed framework and presents integrated strategies intended to support understanding, regulation, and recovery.

Areas of Expertise

Neuropsychology and Psychological Assessment. Dr. Donarski specializes in evaluating how cognitive, emotional, developmental, behavioral, and neurological factors may affect daily functioning. Her work may assess attention, memory, executive functioning, learning, emotional regulation, and adaptive abilities. Clinical Events’ guide to neuroscience in the therapy room provides complementary context for clinicians who want to use brain science without making reductive assumptions.

Anxiety, Panic, and Chronic Fear. Dr. Donarski helps clinicians understand how threat interpretation, physiological arousal, avoidance, reassurance seeking, intrusive thoughts, and learned fear can reinforce one another. Treatment may include psychoeducation, cognitive interventions, relaxation skills, behavioral experiments, interoceptive work, and gradual exposure tailored to the client’s diagnosis, health status, trauma history, and readiness.

Exposure-Based Therapy. Her work includes fear-reduction and exposure strategies that help clients approach feared sensations, memories, situations, or triggers in a planned and collaborative manner. Ethical exposure requires informed consent, appropriate pacing, a clear rationale, and attention to dissociation, medical concerns, safety behaviors, and clinician competence. Clinical Events’ guide to exposure therapy for anxiety disorders offers additional discussion of clinical preparation and implementation.

Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress. Dr. Donarski works with trauma-related anxiety, hypervigilance, panic, distressing memories, emotional reactivity, and post-traumatic stress. Her neuroscience-informed perspective considers how trauma may affect attention, memory, bodily activation, beliefs, avoidance, and perceived safety. Clinical Events’ article on the neuroscience of trauma, memory, and healing provides related education for clinicians.

EMDR-Informed Treatment. Her institutional profile documents advanced EMDR training. When clinically appropriate, EMDR-informed care may help clients process distressing memories while maintaining attention to preparation, stabilization, informed consent, emotional tolerance, and session closure. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs overview of EMDR describes EMDR as an individual trauma-focused psychotherapy used in the treatment of PTSD.

Dementia Care and Geriatric Neuropsychiatry. Dr. Donarski’s work includes older adults and families navigating memory changes, dementia, anxiety, behavioral symptoms, caregiving stress, loss of independence, and questions about cognitive functioning. Her Saint Mary’s College affiliation and dementia-care certification support her focus on geriatric mental health, assessment, and family education.

Educational and Developmental Concerns. Her assessment work includes ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, emotional concerns, and complex behavior that may interfere with academic functioning. Findings can help families and educational teams understand strengths, barriers, accommodations, treatment needs, and appropriate follow-up services.

Forensic Consultation and Complex Cases. Dr. Donarski brings psychological and neuropsychological expertise to legal and administrative questions involving capacity, disability, guardianship, custody, and psychological functioning. Her experience also includes cases requiring coordination across mental-health, educational, medical, family, and legal systems.

Authored Publications

• Anxiety & Trauma Recovery Book: Using a Neuroscience-Informed Treatment Response to Healing