About Claire
Claire McDonough is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 21 years of experience. She works from New Jersey and focuses on practical help for people dealing with anxiety, stress, depression, addiction, and related concerns. She meets people where they are and aims to build trust quickly.
Claire listens without judgment, and she asks clear questions to understand what matters to each person. She balances warmth with straightforward feedback to help people move forward.
Background and approach
Her background includes work across a range of mental health settings. That experience shaped a flexible approach that draws on several methods, including cognitive and mindfulness-based tools. Claire uses techniques that help people notice thoughts, manage intense feelings, and change unhelpful patterns.
Sessions combine skill teaching with real conversation about day-to-day challenges. She helps people with relationship strain, parenting stress, grief, trauma, anger, self-esteem, and career concerns. She also supports people facing ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, and identity-related stressors such as gender dysphoria.
Claire often uses motivational techniques to help people find the drive to try new behaviors. She can work with issues tied to attachment, family of origin problems, and caregiver stress. Her goal is to make therapy understandable and directly useful.
People can expect a steady, respectful clinician who sets clear goals. Claire encourages small, measurable steps and checks in about what’s working. She aims to help people build coping skills and feel more in control of daily life.
How Claire's Approaches Work Online
Claire often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy in online sessions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can reduce anxiety and improve mood. Dialectical Behavior Therapy teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better ways to manage intense reactions.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Claire will ask about your goals, daily routines, and what has or hasn’t worked before. Together you will try methods that fit your needs and adjust the plan as you go.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls let you work face to face when visual cues help, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text messaging can support quick check-ins or shorter updates between sessions. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or busy days while still using skill-building tools and regular clinical support.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed
- New Jersey
- Languages
- English
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