We recently had the chance to connect with Dona Strohbehn LPC, NCC and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dona , thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Something outside of work that has been bringing me joy lately is paranormal investigating. For me, it’s not just about the thrill of exploring haunted locations—it’s about uncovering history, listening to untold stories, and creating space for understanding what lingers beyond the present. Each investigation blends curiosity with reflection: setting up equipment, reviewing evidence, or simply sitting quietly in an old building to sense the atmosphere.
What I enjoy most is the perspective it brings. Paranormal investigating reminds me that there is so much more to life than what we see on the surface. It fuels my sense of wonder, keeps me grounded in curiosity, and deepens my compassion for both the living and the past. In a way, it recharges me outside of work and strengthens the empathy and patience I carry into my professional life.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dona Strohbehn, but many know me as The Paranormal Therapist. I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor with a lifelong gift for seeing and communicating with the other side. My journey has always been about walking between two worlds—helping people heal through mental health counseling while also honoring and exploring the spiritual and paranormal side of life. Over time, I realized I didn’t have to separate those identities. Instead, I chose to merge them into something unique: The Paranormal Therapist, a brand and mission that embraces both healing and mystery.
What makes my work special is that it gives people permission to talk about experiences that are often dismissed, minimized, or feared. Many carry trauma from not just everyday challenges like grief, anxiety, or PTSD, but also from unexplained encounters they’ve never felt safe sharing. By blending evidence-based therapy with openness to the paranormal, I create a safe space where people can process their stories without judgment—whether those stories involve loss, unresolved trauma, or things that can’t easily be explained.
Outside of my counseling practice at Amyris Counseling & Wellness PLLC, I’m part of Angel Paranormal Investigations, where we explore historic and haunted locations. Places like Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Salem, and the Bell Witch Cave have not only deepened my personal journey, but also reaffirmed that healing can happen on many levels—sometimes for the living, sometimes for the spirits we encounter, and often for both. I’ve had profound experiences in these places that connect history, energy, and compassion in ways that continue to shape my perspective as both a therapist and investigator.
I’m also working on several books, where I share my personal journey, investigations, and the lessons I’ve learned about resilience, empathy, and what it means to walk between worlds. My writing is another way of letting people know they are not alone in their struggles or their experiences, no matter how unusual they may seem.
At the heart of everything I do—whether it’s counseling a client through trauma, sitting quietly in an old building listening for voices of the past, or writing stories that weave together the seen and unseen—is a passion for connection. I believe in helping people embrace their full selves, mind and spirit, while reminding them that healing is possible in ways they may never have imagined.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
The person who saw me clearly before I could see myself was my mom. She has always stood by me, even when I struggled to fully understand or embrace the experiences I was having. As a child, when I spoke about the spirits I saw and the energies I felt, she might not have always known what to say, but she never made me feel broken or wrong. She simply accepted me, encouraged me, and reminded me that I was loved.
Over the years, that unwavering support allowed me to grow into both my calling as a therapist and my role as The Paranormal Therapist. She saw my compassion, my gift, and my resilience long before I recognized how those parts of me would come together into something meaningful. Looking back, I realize her belief in me gave me permission to believe in myself, and for that I’ll always be grateful.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The defining wounds of my life have centered around two things: feeling misunderstood for the gifts I was born with, and carrying the weight of trauma that came from relationships and experiences where I didn’t feel safe or seen. From the time I was very young, I could see and communicate with spirits. To me, it was natural, but to others it seemed strange or even wrong. Being told to “go outside and play with real friends” when my friends felt very real to me left me feeling isolated. Later in life, I also faced painful experiences in relationships where trust was broken and where I felt unseen in my full authenticity. Both left deep imprints of loneliness, doubt, and questioning my worth.
Healing those wounds has been a lifelong journey. Therapy, both as a client and as a counselor myself, has helped me learn that my sensitivity and intuition are not flaws but strengths. EMDR and trauma-informed practices have given me tools to process painful memories and release the grip they once had on me. Spiritual work and paranormal investigating have also played a powerful role in my healing—connecting with energies beyond myself, validating what I’ve always known to be true, and finding peace in knowing that I was never truly alone, even in my hardest seasons.
Most of all, healing has come through acceptance—of who I am, of the gifts I carry, and of the fact that my wounds don’t define me but rather shape the compassion and understanding I now bring to others. Those experiences gave me the ability to sit with people in their deepest pain, without judgment, and to remind them that healing is possible no matter how hidden or heavy the wounds may feel.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies the mental health industry tells itself is that healing has to fit inside a neat, evidence-based box. Don’t get me wrong—research, ethics, and proven methods are essential, and I use them daily in my counseling practice. But the lie is that anything outside of that framework is “invalid” or “unreal.” The truth is, people carry stories and experiences—sometimes paranormal, sometimes deeply spiritual—that don’t always align with what textbooks prepare us for. When we dismiss those experiences, we risk dismissing the person.
On the paranormal side, one of the lies the industry tells itself is that we always need to chase proof. Equipment, recordings, and data have their place, but the heart of investigating isn’t just capturing evidence—it’s listening, empathizing, and honoring the stories of both the living and the dead. If we reduce the work to gadgets and jump scares, we lose the human side of it.
For me, being The Paranormal Therapist is about challenging both lies: that therapy has to exclude the mystical, and that paranormal investigating has to exclude compassion. Healing happens at the intersection—where evidence and empathy meet, and where we allow people’s full truths, even the ones that can’t always be explained, to matter.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What light inside you have you been dimming?
The light I’ve dimmed the most has been my own voice—the confidence to speak openly about who I am and the gifts I carry. For much of my life, I learned to quiet parts of myself to fit in, to avoid being misunderstood, or to keep from making others uncomfortable. I hid my connection to the paranormal, I downplayed my intuition, and even at times I softened my passion for helping others because I feared it might seem “too much.”
Over time, though, I’ve realized that dimming that light only left me feeling incomplete. My journey as both a therapist and a paranormal investigator has been about learning to stand fully in that truth—that my voice matters, my story matters, and my ability to see both the living and the spirit world is not something to hide but something to embrace.
The moment I stopped dimming that light, I found that people who needed it most—clients, readers, even spirits—were drawn to it. By owning my truth, I’ve been able to create space for others to own theirs, and that, I think, is the real purpose of my light.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therparanormaltherapist.com
- Instagram: theparanormaltherapist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheParanormalCounselor
Image Credits
I created and own the rights to all images.
