Meet
Donna D. Ferguson, PhD., LPC/S, NCC
Dr. Donna Ferguson, PhD., LPC/S, NCC
LCP/S
Executive Coach
Federal Senior Leader
Organizational Consultant
Trauma Specialist
Author
Speaker
Dr. Donna D. Ferguson is a nationally recognized executive strategist, licensed mental health professional, and trauma-informed leadership expert with over 25 years of experience spanning federal government, academia, and the private sector. She is the Founder and Chief Strategist of DF Soulutions, a human-centered consulting and transformation firm committed to restoring individuals, strengthening families, and realigning organizations by addressing the root: the soul, comprised of the mind, will, and emotions.
Dr. Ferguson’s work operates at the intersection of psychological science, organizational strategy, and human development. She has advised senior leaders across the Department of Defense, contributed to national-level initiatives, and supported congressional briefings and policy development impacting organizational readiness, culture, and resilience. Her leadership has shaped enterprise-wide training, multidisciplinary response strategies, and trauma-informed frameworks addressing some of the most complex issues facing institutions today, including domestic violence, sexual assault, suicide prevention, and organizational culture transformation.
A former Senior leader within the Department of Defense, Dr. Ferguson, led and influenced high-impact programs in behavioral science, special victim crimes, and trauma-informed operations. She is the developer of the Army’s first Critical Incident Peer Support (CIPS) program and the creator of A Tree Called Trauma, a widely utilized framework that equips leaders and organizations to understand how unprocessed experiences shape identity, behavior, and performance. Her work has been instrumental in advancing coordinated community response models, strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration, and improving how systems respond to trauma and human crisis.
Beyond government service, Dr. Ferguson is a sought-after keynote speaker, trainer, consultant, and executive coach who has worked with diverse audiences including federal agencies, corporate organizations, professional sports leagues (NFL, NBA, WNBA), educational institutions, faith-based organizations, and community systems. She specializes in trauma-informed leadership, psychological safety, identity development, organizational health, and human-centered strategy; equipping leaders to effectively lead people, navigate complexity, and build resilient, high-performing cultures.
Known as “The Identity Coach,” Dr. Ferguson brings a unique and powerful perspective: she understands that every organization problem is, at its core, a people problem and every people problem is rooted in the condition of the soul. If the soul is well, systems stabilize and are restored. If the soul is fractured, systems collapse, no matter how advanced the strategy.
Her company exists to restore and strengthen individuals, families, organizations, and communities by placing the human soul at the center, designing people-first strategies that stabilize and transform systems, heal foundations, and produce sustainable well-being.
Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, three master’s degrees in human resource management, Human Resource Development, and Mental Health Counseling, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She holds multiple national certifications in trauma, grief, and behavioral health, and has served on national advisory bodies including the American Counseling Association Public Policy Legislative Committee and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Health Science Team.
Dr. Ferguson is also the author of I Forgive You: Choosing Freedom Over Bondage andcontinues to develop transformational frameworks and programs that address identity, healing, leadership, and generational restoration.
At the core of her work is a singular belief:
Every human being deserves the opportunity to be healed, restored, and positioned to live fully and every organization has a responsibility to create environments where that transformation can occur. We don’t sell counseling, coaching, consulting, or training; Wecorrect the foundation that everything else rests on- the human soul.