Laurie Jo McDonnell, LMFT

Laurie Jo McDonnell is a Florida licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of experience. She helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, or depression. She also supports those struggling with relationship and family concerns. Laurie aims to make the first step feel manageable and respectful of each person’s strengths.

Her approach centers on working together to understand what matters most to the client. She uses practical tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to notice and change unhelpful thinking patterns. She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify values and take meaningful action.

Laurie values warmth and listening. Sessions focus on real-life problems and small, usable changes people can try between meetings. She encourages clients to use their own experience and strengths to guide progress.

Over her career she has helped with a wide range of issues including family of origin problems, caregiving stress, chronic illness, and life transitions such as divorce or loss. She pays attention to how past relationships shape current feelings and reactions.

Sessions are conducted in English and are available through a variety of online formats. Laurie emphasizes collaboration and practical steps so people can move toward healthier routines and clearer connections with others.

How Laurie Uses Approaches Online

Laurie integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to address thoughts, feelings, and actions. CBT helps identify unhelpful thinking patterns and replace them with more balanced alternatives, which is useful for anxiety, depression, and stress. ACT focuses on clarifying values and taking small, meaningful steps even when emotions are difficult, which can help with grief, avoidance, and ongoing life changes.

Choosing the right approach is something she does together with each person. She listens to current concerns, discusses what feels useful, and adjusts techniques as goals evolve. That collaborative process helps match methods to a person’s preferences and day-to-day realities.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide practical flexibility. Video is useful for deeper conversation and nonverbal cues, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed, and chat or messaging can support quick reflections or ongoing check-ins between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to continue work across life transitions.