Susan MacDonald, LMHC

Susan MacDonald is a Rhode Island licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) with 14 years of experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, and building self-esteem. Susan aims to make the first step toward change feel manageable and supported.

She creates a calm, nonjudgmental space where people can talk through what's on their mind. Sessions emphasize clear goals and practical steps that fit daily life. She listens for what matters most and helps people find small ways to move forward.

Susan often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thought patterns and try new behaviors. She also draws on client-centered methods to keep the conversation focused on each person's priorities. Dialectical Behavior Therapy and mindfulness tools are available when stress regulation and emotion coping are central goals.

In sessions she breaks problems into concrete pieces and practices skills together. That might mean working on communication strategies, setting boundaries after a separation, or handling panic symptoms with step-by-step exercises. The work is collaborative and paced to each person's comfort.

Susan also supports people dealing with family of origin issues, codependency, guilt and shame, or feelings of emptiness. She helps clients explore life purpose, manage mood concerns, and address obsessive or compulsive thoughts with concrete plans.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

CBT focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors. Online CBT sessions often include homework and short exercises to practice between meetings, which helps with anxiety, mood concerns, panic symptoms, and compulsive behaviors.

Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and building trust so the client sets the pace and priorities. In remote sessions this approach supports people who want a steady, empathetic space to talk about relationships, self-esteem, or life changes.

Finding the right approach is part of the process and Susan works collaboratively to figure out what fits. She will talk about goals and try methods that match what a person needs, adjusting plans over time based on what helps most.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for deeper conversations and skills practice, phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits quick check-ins, and messaging lets someone reflect in writing between sessions. These options make scheduling more flexible and help therapy fit into busy lives.