I prefer to be contacted via: Email
Contact: donnaagaffney@gmail.com
Donna A. Gaffney, DNSc, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, is a psychotherapist, advanced practice psychiatric mental health nurse, educator, and author. She has long addressed stress, loss, and trauma in the lives of adults and children, communities, and healthcare professionals— providing clinical and educational interventions in the aftermath of personal trauma and crisis as well as national disasters such as the Challenger explosion, 9/11, the Sandy Hook school shooting, Hurricane Katrina, and the Coronavirus pandemic. The needs of nurses working in high-stress settings have been at the center of Donna's work— forensic nurses working with victims of violence, nurses in disaster or acute care settings, and now nurses who are affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Her webinar series, "Healing Ourselves, While Healing Others," is available to nurses through Rutgers University School of Nursing. Since March 2020, she has provided pro-bono psychotherapy through the Emotional PPE Project. She facilitates Virtual Schwartz Rounds for the New Jersey Nursing Emotional Well-Being Institute (NJ-NEW) to nurses working at hospitals throughout the New York-New Jersey area. Her new book, Courageous Well-Being for Nurses: Strategies for Renewal, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, is available online and in bookstores. Donna's work also takes place in communities and school systems. She created and administered the AAUW-funded bibliotherapy program "Growing Heroines" at one of New York City's largest elementary schools to focus on the issues of trauma and loss facing young girls in urban communities. She is also the author of The Seasons of Grief, Helping Children Grow Through Loss, one of the first books written for the families of bereaved children, and Adolescent Sexuality: A Guide for Clinicians. Recently she wrote the chapter on "Childhood Grief and The Healing Power of Superheroes" for Superhero Grief, The Transformative Power of Loss, edited by Jill Harrington and Robert Neimeyer. Children's literature has an essential and therapeutic role in Donna's practice with bereaved children and families. She has curated book lists for parents and teachers and writes discussion guides for children's and young adult literature: 911: The Book of Help, Speak, Breath to Breath and Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes. Donna collaborates with the New York Life Foundation on their book series, Kai's Journey and Lost in the Middle, a new graphic novel for young people. With extensive experience in classroom, experiential and online education, Donna designs and offers workshops, presentations, and webinars nationally and internationally to universities, communities, and organizations. She has taught and directed graduate programs at the International Trauma Studies Program and Columbia University, where she was a two-time finalist for the Presidential Teaching Award. Donna holds master's degrees from Teachers College at Columbia University and Rutgers University and earned her doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania. She was a Fellow at Columbia University Journalism School and received a post-graduate certificate from the International Trauma Studies Program in New York City. Donna works with families, schools, hospital systems, and professional nurses affected by trauma, loss, and violence. She is a member of the American Academy of Nursing and a number of other nursing organizations, as well as the American Psychological Association. In 2021 she received the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Award for Excellence in Practice - APRN. For more information, go to www.DonnaGaffney.com
Specialties: Trauma, grief & loss, children, women, families
Issues: Trauma-focused work with healthcare professionals addressing workplace issues; sexual violence, bullying (nurses)
Types of Therapy Offered: tele-health, online sessions, individual (adult, child, teen), group
State(s) licenced in: CA,NJ,NY