Therapist profile
Susan MacDonald, LMHC
Rhode Island
Licensed Mental Health Counselor - Relationships and Mood
Continue with SusanWhere Susan stands
- Credentials
- LMHC
- License
- LMHC, Rhode Island / MHC00454
- NPI
- 1689966947
- Experience
- 14 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- Rhode Island
About
- client-centered approach
- CBT and DBT skills
- mindfulness practices
About Susan
Susan MacDonald is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Rhode Island with 14 years of clinical experience. She works with adults who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, low mood, and relationship patterns that leave them drained. Her practice includes attention to self-esteem, motivation, and life transitions such as separation or midlife shifts.
Susan helps people notice how they fall into people-pleasing or lose themselves around others' moods and needs. She talks through patterns linked to family of origin, guilt and shame, loneliness, and feelings of emptiness. Conversations focus on practical skills and clearer choices, not just understanding what went wrong.
Her approach blends client-centered listening with tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. That means sessions will include both open discussion and hands-on work to change unhelpful thoughts and build new coping skills. Mindfulness and motivational interviewing are also used to support focus and forward movement.
Sessions tend to focus on small, doable steps like boundary-setting, reducing reactivity, and improving communication. Susan also addresses anxiety symptoms such as panic, obsessive thoughts, and low mood with strategies that can be practiced between sessions. Work on self-love and life purpose is practical and paced to each person's needs.
People who connect best with her are willing to reflect on patterns and try concrete changes. To begin, she asks for straightforward information so the first session can focus on priorities and next steps. The emphasis is on steady, practical progress rather than quick fixes.
How sessions work
How her therapeutic approaches translate to online work
Susan uses client-centered methods that prioritize the client's concerns and pace. That approach means sessions begin with open listening and questions that help identify what matters most, then move into planning and skill-building for everyday life.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used to identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It includes short exercises and homework tasks that help with anxiety, mood, and repetitive patterns like people-pleasing. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) adds concrete skills for regulating emotions and tolerating distress, such as grounding techniques and interpersonal effectiveness skills useful in strained relationships.
Finding the right mix of approaches is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to decide which methods feel most useful based on goals and preferences. That means early sessions often test a few techniques and then build on what helps most.
Confirm current session formats before booking, as options are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins or longer weekly meetings depending on need. These practical benefits help people practice new skills in their real life without rearranging everything.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
14+ years
Listed in
Rhode Island
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
Susan works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and low self-esteem. Her practice also focuses on codependency, family of origin issues, and life changes like divorce and midlife shifts.
What is her therapy style like?
She combines client-centered listening with active techniques from CBT and DBT. Sessions mix talking through patterns with practical skills to try between meetings.
How much experience does she have?
Susan has 14 years of professional work experience as a counselor. That experience includes addressing mood disorders, anxiety, and relationship dynamics.
What credentials and region are listed?
She holds the credential LMHC and practices in Rhode Island as an RI LMHC. Location is Rhode Island.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats does she offer?
Session formats are not specified here; confirm current session options before booking to know whether video or phone sessions are offered.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location, and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. Exact pricing depends on the subscriber plan and location.
How do I start working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session. That process collects basic information so the initial meeting can focus on priorities.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.