About Susan
Susan MacDonald is a licensed mental health counselor in Rhode Island with 14 years of experience. She focuses on helping people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and life transitions. Her style is direct and warm, aimed at making it easier to talk about what feels hard.
She creates a calm, nonjudgmental space so clients can speak openly about thoughts and feelings. Sessions start with what matters most to the client and move at a comfortable pace.
Background and approach
She listens closely and helps people find practical steps they can try between sessions. Susan uses a mix of approaches tailored to each person. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, mindfulness techniques, and client-centered work are common tools in her sessions.
These approaches help people change unhelpful thinking, manage strong emotions, and build everyday habits that support wellbeing. Her background includes many years helping people navigate relationship strain, codependency, communication problems, and separation or divorce. She also supports those dealing with obsessive or compulsive patterns, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress, and mood concerns.
In sessions she often uses motivational interviewing to support readiness for change and DBT-informed skills to manage intense emotions. The goal is to help people gain clearer direction, stronger self-compassion, and better coping skills for daily life.
How Susan blends approaches for online work
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and acceptance. The therapist follows the client's lead, reflecting feelings and helping people feel understood so they can explore what matters most. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical techniques to reduce anxiety and change unhelpful thinking patterns. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, offers skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication when feelings feel overwhelming.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Susan will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped before. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online therapy can fit into busy lives through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video lets people see facial cues and have deeper conversations. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a simpler check-in is needed. Live chat or text messaging can support brief check-ins, notes between sessions, or people who prefer typing to talking. These options make it easier to work on stress, anxiety, and relationship concerns without commuting.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns can be raised in sessions?
What is the therapy style like?
How much experience does she bring?
What are her credentials and where is she based?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Are international clients accepted?
What session formats are offered?
How do I begin therapy with her?
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 14 years
- Licensed
- Rhode Island
- Languages
- English
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