Meet Our Team
Compassionate Guides on Your Journey
At the heart of our work is a team of dedicated professionals who are committed to supporting your healing and growth. We believe in creating a safe, nurturing space where you can explore your experiences, develop self-awareness, and move toward authenticity. Each member of our team brings unique expertise, deep compassion, and a shared commitment to guiding you toward greater well-being.
Jessica Donaldson
Owner, B.S., MSW, LCSW
Psychotherapist
Jessica ♡
Awareness. Presence. Authenticity.
“Trauma is anything that changes you in a way that makes your future responses to the world more limited.” – Gabor Mate.
I truly enjoy connecting with clients in order to engage them in discovering their truth. I work with a variety of individuals, families, and couples who are seeking to live consciously and in authenticity. The presenting concerns are rarely the sources of distress- depression, anxiety, mania, psychosis, any type of addiction, self harm, avoidance, relationship/family challenges, anger/aggression, mood instability, distraction/impulsivity, or trauma reactions. We will work to improve connection between every person to their true self.
Trauma is experienced as a disconnection from the self. When we experience this disconnection, we are less aware of physiological and emotional drivers which present in our interactions, relationships, marriage, and family dynamics.
A primary goal in my therapeutic relationships is to assist the client in better understanding the truth of their experience, becoming more aware of the beliefs that shape their narrative, and increasing confidence and proficiency in being more present-minded and authentic in all relationships.
I am certified in Compassionate Inquiry. The aim of therapy is to support individuals in manifesting their true selves by fostering present-moment awareness. This means being influenced by the past but not dominated or defined by it, and staying deeply connected to oneself in the here and now. It’s about tuning into the body and becoming aware of what’s happening within, moment by moment.
I am here for you. I will compassionately seek to understand you and your unique experience. I support and reflect your true authentic self. I believe in you, and I know that you have the ability to heal. I believe you are the expert in your life/experience, and you hold the truth. I am here to support and observe the majesty of YOU as it unfolds.
Shane Donaldson
Psychotherapist, LCSW
The Wounded Healer
“Everybody’s at war with different things, I’m at war with my own heart sometimes.” -Tupac
As a Grady baby growing up in Atlanta, I consider the School of Hard Knocks my first Alma Mater. First surviving, then adapting, and finally overcoming a host of difficult situations ultimately inspired me professionally.
While narrowly avoiding prison or death in my teens, and graduating high school by the skin of my teeth, I enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves. College would be delayed after being called upon to serve my country in Iraq and Afghanistan, but once I returned education would become the priority in my life.
I transferred into the University of Georgia after a few semesters at the University of West Georgia, where I earned a B.S. in psychology and met my future partner. After a few years in corporate America, we returned to UGA to pursue our master’s in social work, and dreamed of one day opening our own practice together.
I practice through an Adlerian framework, and use several modalities in my practice (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Imago to name a few). I was educated using the integrative health approach, and assess physical, mental, financial, social, and spiritual health holistically.
As someone who values innovative and evidence-based tools for healing, I’ve integrated Vielight into my personal wellness practice. Using photobiomodulation, light therapy designed to support brain function and cellular health, Vielight offers a non-invasive way to promote cognitive clarity, emotional balance, and overall vitality. Click here to learn more.
With over a decade in experience working with vulnerable populations in urban environments, I was exposed to a variety of situations: supportive housing with wrap around services, grant writing, community program development, individual and family therapy, addiction counseling, and acute inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations.
In 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic, my partner and I were invited to join a group practice, where we both invested ourselves in working with individuals, families, and couples before launching A Way of Being in 2022. We are fully committed to working with our clients through the process of individuation, navigating transitions, and moving toward authenticity.
Be kind to yourself.
Emily Felton
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Heal. Grow. Reclaim.
Are you someone who feels stuck in the role of always being the one who holds everything together—even when you’re falling apart on the inside?
Someone who is strong, resilient, and capable, yet completely exhausted from keeping it all in?
Have you spent so much time creating peace for everyone else that your own sense of peace feels out of reach?
Are you the go-to person for everyone around you, yet rarely feel truly supported in return?
You might be feeling unseen, alone, and deeply burned out.
What once gave you a sense of purpose now feels impossible to sustain.
And maybe you’re starting to wonder: Is there more to life than just going through the motions?
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone—and it doesn’t have to stay this way. You deserve to heal—and to live a life that feels whole, empowered, and truly your own. I am here to help.
As a therapist specializing in trauma & complex trauma, I offer a compassionate and safe space for healing. I am trained in EMDR, a powerful therapeutic technique that helps clients process & heal from distressing memories and trauma. By working through the emotional & psychological blocks that stem from the past, EMDR allows you to break free from trauma.
I understand that reaching out for help can feel overwhelming, but I am here to support you every step of the way. If you’re ready, I invite you to reach out and schedule a consultation. Whether you’re ready to dive into therapy or need help understanding the healing process, I will work with you to develop a personalized plan. I am here for you.
"We may not be responsible for the world that created our minds, but we can take responsibility for the mind with which we create our world."
- Gabor Mate
How it Works
In order to live in truth, you have to understand your experience and be compassionate towards yourself.
- Prioritize yourself and your overall wellbeing
- Work towards self acceptance
- Notice and experience your emotions in the present moment
- Recognize automatic unconscious reaction patterns
- Have faith in your process
- Have faith in your intuition
- Take responsibility
- Have compassion for yourself
- Be curious about what comes up for you
- Whatever arises, don’t make it wrong, but see it as a teacher