Donna Kluz BA, BSW, MA, RCC
Founder & Clinical Director
Works with: Children, Teens, Adults & Families
Specialties: Anxiety, Trauma, PTSD, OCD, Life Coaching & Transitions, Grief
Donna is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with over 2 decades of experience supporting individuals and families. She holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University, a Bachelor of Social Work with Distinction from the University of Victoria and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Regina. Donna has extensive experience in the field of support services. She has worked as a counsellor within a vocational high school, a Special Constable and Victim Service Worker for the Victoria Police Department, including serving on the Victim Service Mobile Crisis Response Unit. She has worked in the field of youth forensics and has a background in social work and Child and Youth Mental Health. Through these positions, she built a strong foundation of compassion and support that guides her counselling practice today.
Donna’s clinical experience includes working with anxiety, trauma, PTSD, OCD, life transitions and grief. She brings advanced training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety (CBT-A), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Trauma (CBT-T), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI), Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and several modalities specific to Early Childhood. Her counselling style is client-centred and focuses on helping individuals of all ages move toward healing and resilience.
As a former Child & Youth Mental Health Clinician and having the opportunity to work on a multi-disciplinary team, including nursing, and psychiatry, Donna has extensive experience working with children and youth from toddler through adolescence, particularly in community-based mental health systems. She is passionate about creating accessible, high-quality care for clients in every stage of life.
In her role as the Founder of State of Mind Counselling and as the Clinic Director, Donna brings her experience, leadership and a strong commitment to providing a supportive, ethical and inclusive therapeutic environment.
Fun fact: Donna believes that animal-assisted therapy can be an incredible resource when it comes to mental health. She brings in her therapy dog and two cats for clients to interact with, if they choose, to provide a calmer experience where nervous clients may feel more open and relaxed.