Dana Nygaard, MA, LPC

LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR

Dana Nygaard is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a private office in Plano, Texas. She received a Bachelor of Secondary Education from the University of North Texas and her Master of Art in Counseling from Dallas Baptist University.  She is a professional member of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association and proudly serves the Diocese of Dallas as a Marriage Readiness Assessor. 

Dana is a graduate of Holy Spirit 101 and teaches Catholic marriage theology to the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program of the Diocese of Dallas with her husband, David Nygaard.  Dana and David are the creators and facilitators of Cana Marriage Retreats.  Cana Marriage Retreats form couples to live out a deeper level of loving intimacy through faithful understanding of what it means to live a valid and sacramental marriage through experiential exercises.

Dana's approach to counseling is unique in that it balances proven psychotherapy techniques with authentic Catholic spirituality. The result is that her clients often experience rapid healing; quickly developing useful coping skills, positive communication techniques, find the courage to set boundaries and discover healthy perspectives to navigate the challenges of daily life. 

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND MEMBERSHIPS

• Marriage Minister for the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program
• Marriage Readiness Assessor of Diocese of Dallas
• Rachel's Vineyard volunteer therapist
• Chastity Speaker for the Catholic Pro-Life Committee of Dallas     
• Catholic Psychotherapy Association
• Catholictherapists.com

Additional Training

• Holy Spirit 101 Trained (Arise Worship Ministry)
• Diocesan Engaged Marriage Preparation Process Training (Family Life Department - Diocese of Dallas, TX)
• Certified Presenter of Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse
• Enhancing Patient Centered Reproductive Care: Understanding and Addressing Unmet Ethical and Clinical Concerns
• Learning, Educating & Networking to Serve & Engage Survivors
• Couples Therapy Bootcamp:  Merging Modalities
• Shaking the Blues: Treating Depression and Bipolar Disorders
• Child Parent Relationship Therapy
• Wounded Healer to Worthy Helper
• Handling Meltdowns of Older Students and Adults
• Process Addiction Part 1: What is it and How to Identify it
• Love and Logic
• Trauma Training Program at Timberlawn Hospital
• Kids in Court
• The Assertive Person: Getting What You Need and Want Respectfully
• Get a Grip on Your Anger: Transforming Anger into Passion
• Darkness to Light 
• Borderline Personality Disorders with DBT Techniques