About Colleen
Dr. Colleen McMahon is an Ohio-licensed psychologist (OH Psychologist P.07693) who focuses on helping people manage ADHD, autism-related challenges, and parenting stress. She writes and teaches about therapy and brings a practical, research-informed perspective to sessions.
Her style is warm and accepting and she aims to help clients feel more capable in daily life. She spent many years working in schools, hospitals, and clinics before moving into a practice that blends clinical work with teaching.
Background and approach
That background shaped her straightforward, strength-based approach to behavior and learning concerns. She uses methods that help people set goals, try small changes, and notice what works. In session she emphasizes skills that reduce stress and improve daily routines.
People explore ways to manage attention, impulsivity, sleep, and mood through concrete steps and adjustments. Conversations often include setting achievable goals, practicing new skills, and checking what helps in real life. Dr.
McMahon uses acceptance and commitment ideas alongside cognitive and mindfulness practices to address anxiety, depression, and burnout. Motivational techniques help people build momentum when they feel stuck. Her approach is collaborative - she adapts strategies to match each person’s needs and preferences.
She also supports parents who are trying to manage child behavior and regain a calmer household. Practical coaching, problem-solving, and behavior strategies are part of that work. With seven years in the current phase of her career, she combines classroom research with hands-on experience to help clients move forward.
Approaches that translate well to online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small actions toward those values despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It focuses on building a meaningful life rather than chasing symptom elimination. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors, often using home practice to test new ways of coping with anxiety, sleep problems, or mood. Mindfulness Therapy emphasizes present-moment awareness and simple exercises that reduce reactivity and improve focus, which can support attention and stress management.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively to match methods to each person’s goals, needs, and preferences. Sessions include checking in about what is working and adjusting techniques so they fit the client’s life and routines.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and skill coaching. Phone appointments can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for a shorter check-in. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief coaching, follow-up tasks, and stepping through practical strategies between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to continue consistent work toward goals.
Questions people ask
What concerns does she help with?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How much experience does she have?
What are her credentials and where is she based?
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Can people outside the United States work with her?
What formats are available for sessions?
How are costs and starting steps handled?
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
Also listed
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Phobias
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 7 years
- Licensed
- Ohio
- Languages
- English
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you.