Dona holds a master’s degree in clinical counseling from The George Washington University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a license granted by the Department of Health in the District of Columbia. She is also certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors.

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For the past decade, Dona has been working in Washington, D.C. as a consultant and counselor to federal and local government agencies, and private sector businesses, providing supportive services  around work / life balance issues and stressors. The bulk of her work has been with The World Bank Group, The International Monetary Fund, and The Inter-American Development Bank, using predominantly soultion-focused supportive services around issues of acculturation, assimilation and stress management within personal, family and work lives. Through the integration of her multicultural knoweldge-base and language skills, she is able to address her clients' needs in a comprehensive and holisitc manner. She has also been a faculty member at the University of Phoenix, teaching psychology courses in their undergraduate programs.

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Dona Paknejad identifies herself as Persian-American, having been born in the United States, yet with a deep appreciation and connection with her cultural roots. Having lived, worked, studied and traveled extensively throughout Europe, South America and the Middle East, she has a deep understanding of how cultural norms and expectations can influence one's vision of the “optimal self” and draws on that understanding in her therapy practice. She has worked in a variety of settings with strong international influences. Starting at the Multicultural Human Services Center (MHS), a program of Northern Virginia Family Services, she worked with adults in English, Portuguese and Farsi, providing behavioral health services for issues varying from adjustment stressors to anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. At the same time, she worked in Fairfax County Public Schools' LEAD program (through MHS), working with at risk adolescent youth. She has also worked at The George Washington University Community Counseling Services Center where she provided services to numerous clients from various backgrounds and cultures.