Diana Degner is a graduate counseling intern currently pursuing her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg. She also holds an MA in Conflict Transformation, with a minor in Restorative Justice, from EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, as well as a BA in Political Science, with a minor in Conflict Resolution and Research for Peace, from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia.
Diana’s clinical work is grounded in compassion, connection, and the belief that meaningful healing can emerge even from life’s most difficult experiences. Her personal, professional, and spiritual journey has been deeply shaped by witnessing the impact of trauma within her family and community in Colombia during childhood. These experiences inspired a lifelong commitment to understanding how individuals, families, and communities can transform suffering into resilience, healing, and greater peace.
Diana approaches therapy from a compassion-focused and psychodynamic perspective while thoughtfully integrating relational, attachment-based, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approaches. She works collaboratively with clients to explore the roots of emotional distress, identify patterns that may be contributing to ongoing challenges, and develop meaningful pathways toward greater emotional well-being, connection, and fulfillment. She strives to create a therapeutic environment in which clients feel safe, respected, understood, and empowered throughout the healing process.
Her professional background includes extensive experience working with children, adolescents, adults, families, and diverse communities across a variety of settings. Diana has worked with trauma-impacted and resilient populations in Colombia, youth involved with the Juvenile Probation Department in Chicago, UNICEF Colombia, and rural, migrant, and mixed-status families in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She has also supported children and families in school- and community-based settings. Her experience as a peacebuilder, restorative justice practitioner, student support specialist, and mental health therapist in training has strengthened her ability to create relational spaces that foster emotional safety, resilience, creativity, leadership, and healing.
Diana has a particular interest in supporting parents, caregivers, couples, and families. Her experience as a mother has further deepened her understanding of the emotional and relational changes that can accompany pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, parenting, and evolving family dynamics. She is especially passionate about perinatal mental health, caregiver support, attachment, family relationships, and helping couples and families navigate conflict with greater understanding, compassion, and connection.
Diana has completed Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy training through Postpartum Support International, Transformative Couples Therapy Core Training, and holds the QMHP-T designation. She works with clients across the lifespan, including preschool- and elementary-aged children, adolescents, and adults. Her clinical areas of interest include anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, attachment concerns, life transitions, self-esteem, family and relationship conflict, couples counseling, pregnancy and postpartum concerns, caregiver stress, school and work-related stress, OCD, bipolar disorder, eating and body-image concerns, substance use, sexuality and identity exploration, LGBTQ+ concerns, self-harm, and other complex emotional and relational challenges.
Depending on each client’s needs, Diana may draw from Psychodynamic Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Attachment Theory, Relational Therapy, Systems Theory, Narrative Therapy, Mindfulness-Based approaches, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Internal Family Systems-informed interventions, Play Therapy, Humanistic Therapy, Existential Therapy, and holistic approaches. Above all, she values the therapeutic relationship and believes healing is most meaningful when clients feel genuinely seen, supported, and empowered to move toward the life and relationships they envision.
Outside of her clinical work, Diana is a proud Latina and mother of two young children. She finds joy in meaningful everyday moments, especially dragonflies, sunsets, and time spent by the beach.
