Denise Donatien-Coder
When relationships are not going well – whether it’s the one you have with yourself, or with your partner, family members, or other people, you might experience feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, or some combination of feelings that involve discomfort. Perhaps there might be a lack of awareness of the ways in which you participate in self-sabotage, or you might feel like you’re stuck in a pattern or with a behavior that you’re not quite sure how to overcome.
Within interpersonal relationships, sometimes people are not able to see the tenderness beneath each other’s armor, and it can be difficult to find ways to reconnect with one another.
Whether you’re experiencing a disconnection within yourself or with others, you shouldn’t have to feel alone, or that you have to continue with the way things are.
Hello. My name is Denise Donatien-Coder. I’m a marriage and therapy intern here at Mathews Counseling, and I endeavor to create a safe space for clients to explore the nature of who they are, the ways in which their relationship to self impacts how they interact with others, as well as the problems that bring them into therapy, and unlearning behaviors and patterns that no longer serve them or their relationships to better navigate the highs and lows of life.
I am a master’s-level candidate at Syracuse University pursuing a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at New Paltz. I have several years of experience working in a variety of mental health settings. In my free time, I love spending time with my family, reading, taking walks, doing my own personal growth work, going to the beach whenever possible, and having thought-provoking conversations. I am also a daily meditator, a writer, a researcher, a creative, and an amateur gardener who prefers green tea over coffee, as well as playing NYT word games almost every day.
As someone who believes in the transformative power that therapy has to offer and the potential that it can provide in creating opportunities for lasting change occurs when the therapist has established a safe space for clients to be able to share the most private, sensitive details of their lives, and to meet them with curiosity and compassion. My work is informed by intersectional feminist, queer, anti-oppressive, and social justice perspectives that consider the whole person, their cultural and social identities, as well as the people they engage with both inside and outside of the therapy room. Currently, I identify as an eclectic practitioner who is relationally-focused – one who aims to understand who you are, what brings you in, and the goals you have for coming into therapy so that I can provide specific techniques and interventions to help you get to a place in which you feel like you can handle most things that come your way. I see the client-therapist relationship as one that holds a sacred, collaborative bond that bestows your trust in me to therapeutically guide you while I meet you where you are at, in addition to challenging you at times towards growth.
I work with individuals experiencing depression and anxiety, in addition to providing affirmative therapy to BIPOC and LGBTQ youth and adults.
I also work with interpersonal relationships of all types, including couples, ENM and polyamorous relationship configurations, in addition to exploring issues regarding communication, trust, opening up a relationship, jealousy, intimacy, boundaries, infidelity, as well as helping to uncover your relationship strengths from which to draw upon in times of conflict while learning new ways to relate to one another.
Whether you begin to feel more secure with who you are, or perhaps notice there’s less conflict among your relationships, or even adopt new tools to help you engage in healthier ways, we’ll explore how best to reconnect with yourself and others. I am here to help as you journey through this process.
I look forward to working together.
Denise is currently scheduling new clients and has appointments available. They offer low-cost and sliding-scale fees for clients who need them. Denise is supervised by Dr. Adaria Warner, LMFT and Sarha Machamer, LMFT.
Please call 919-587-8018 for their latest availability, as appointment times fill up quickly. You can also request an appointment with Denise online.
