Sandra McQuinn, LPC

Sandra McQuinn is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who uses practical, skills-based methods to help people cope with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and major life changes. She focuses on clear steps people can try between sessions. Sandra writes plainly, listens closely, and helps clients set realistic goals they can reach over time.

She began her career as a teacher and later earned a master’s degree in counseling. That background shaped her straightforward, education-style way of teaching new coping strategies. Over eight years she has worked in many settings, including schools, addiction treatment, a suboxone clinic, crisis services, prison counseling, workforce programs, and supports for people involved with foster care.

Sandra draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) alongside client-centered and mindfulness approaches to tailor work to each person. She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and motivational interviewing when those methods match a client’s goals. Sessions often include practical tools for managing emotions, handling triggers, and changing unhelpful patterns.

Her experience includes helping people with addiction recovery, trauma and PTSD symptoms, parenting stressors, chronic illness and pain, communication struggles, and divorce or separation concerns. She also has experience related to adoption, attachment issues, codependency, and eating and food-related issues.

Sandra aims to meet clients where they are and collaborate on a plan that fits their life. She values teaching skills that can be practiced between sessions and adapting the approach as progress is made.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Sandra often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. CBT helps people break unhelpful thinking patterns and try small behavioral experiments to reduce anxiety and depression. She also incorporates Client-Centered Therapy, which prioritizes listening, empathy, and supporting a person’s own goals and choices. That approach helps clients feel heard while they figure out what matters most to them.

When appropriate, she brings in Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improved interpersonal effectiveness. DBT techniques are useful for managing intense emotions and reducing reactive behavior. Sandra treats choosing an approach as a team effort and will work with each person to decide what methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences.r>
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs. Video allows face-to-face interaction for skills work and demonstrations. Phone sessions can be a good fit when a quieter environment or lower bandwidth is needed. Live chat or messaging can be used for shorter check-ins, skill practice, or when writing feels easier than speaking. These options aim to make therapy more flexible and accessible while keeping the focus on real, practical progress.