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'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. 

Mrs. Nygaard has completed Level I Training in Gottman™ Method Couples Therapy, and uses the Gottman Method Couples Therapy in her work.

Dana and her husband, 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.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND MEMBERSHIPS

• National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers

• 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

• MyCatholicDoctor.com

Additional Training

• Prepare & Enrich Facilitator

• Adolescent Social Isolation and Loneliness

• Working with Teens: Tools and Tips for Counselors

• Telehealth 101: Utilizing Telehealth for Therapy and Supervision

• Addiction is Trauma: A Mirrored Perspective

• Engaging the Complex Family System: Identifying Family Values Protective or Harmful to Attachment Individuation

• Early Recovery and the Brain

• Partner Betrayal: 5 Mistakes Therapists Make

• Pathways to Resilience after Suicide Loss: A Restorative Approach to Healing and Posttraumatic Growth

• Confronting Transference and Countertransference

• An Overview of Grief and its Effects on Post-Abortion Healing

• Revolutionizing Family: Creating a Long-Term Family Recovery Management Team

• Assessment Strategies and Treatment Planning for Problematic Sexual Behavior in the Seminarian and Clergy Populations

• Trauma Therapy Certificate by Trauma Care Institute

• Dissociative Identity Disorder: How to Recognize it and How to Treat it

• Pandemic Healing: With Emphasis on Working with Trauma Survivors

• To Feel or Not to Feel…A Question Many Young People Ask Themselves Daily

• Trauma Theories 101: From Chaos to Clarity

• The Mental & Spiritual Consequences and Care for those affected by Ritual Abuse

• TBRI Caregiver Training

• Trust Based Relational Intervention: A Holistic Approach for Children Who Have Experienced Traumas and Their Caregivers

• The Neurobiology of Trauma and the Need for Body Based Therapies

• Sounds Like Healing

• Mobilizing the Unspeakable: Healing Trauma Through Dance/Movement

• Instinctual Role Parts of the ANS: A Psychodramatic Exploration

• Prevention of Vicarious Trauma Through Visual Journaling

• Therapeutic Art Interventions for Non-Art Therapists

• Art Therapy Experiential

• Write to Thrive

• Treating Couples Affected by Trauma

• Level 1: Bridging the Couple Chasm, A Research-Based Program

• Sidewalk Counseling (Catholic Pro-Life Committee - Diocese of Dallas, TX)

• Diocesan Engaged Marriage Preparation Process Training: FOCCUS/REFOCCUS (Family Life Department - Diocese of Dallas, TX)

• Legal and Licensing Issues; What every therapist should know

• The Neurobiology of Trauma and the Need for Body Based Therapies

• Certified Presenter of Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse

• Enhancing Patient Centered Reproductive Care: Understanding and Addressing Unmet Ethical and Clinical Concerns

• New L.E.N.S.E.S. 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

• 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

• Teacher and Parent Strategies that Make all Other Programs Work Better: A Day of Love and Logic with Dr. Charles Fay

• Juvenile Cases in Collin County

• Understanding Adult Sex Offenders

• Psychology of Excellence: The Science of Motivation

• Community Disasters: Trauma-Informed Interventions for Mental Health Professionals

• Teach 4 Life Conference: An Educational Seminar

• The Soul of Shame Conference: Redeeming Shame, Nurturing Communities, and Vocational Creativity

• The Soul of Shame Conference: Neurobiology, The Story of Shame, Shame’s Remedy

• Preparing for End of Life: Medical, Legal, and Ethical Challenges

• SOAR to Health and Wellness

• Texas Ethics

• A Biblical Approach to Shame & Unforgiveness: The Number One Block to Healing

• Together We Can Protect the Unprotected

• Working with Teens: Tools and Tips for Counselors

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers, Denver, CO, 2019:

  • “From Crisis to Cana - Caring for the Mission of Marriage”

• Catholic Pro-Life Committee of Dallas, TX: “Self-Care for Sidewalk Counselors”

• Prince of Peace M.O.M.S. Lenten Mission: “Spiritual Sanity for Motivated Moms”

• St. Rita Catholic Church Grief Group: “Grieving Through the Holidays”

• Dallas Ministry Conference 2019, “Strong Marriages: The Foundation of Strong Catholic Families”

• Dallas Ministry Conference 2018, “From Crisis to Cana - Caring for the Mission of Marriage”

• Teach4Life: “Talking About the Hard Topics”

• Marriage on Tap: “Marriage Do’s and Don’ts”

• Catholic Pro-Life Committee of Dallas, TX: “Boundaries as a Pregnancy Center Worker”

• Marriage on Tap: “Cana Communication Concept”

• St. Rita Catholic Church Grief Group: “Forgiveness in the Midst of Grief”