About Susan
Susan Ryder is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with 17 years of practice in Maine. She focuses on practical, down-to-earth support for people facing stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and ADHD. Susan emphasizes each person's strengths and respects their story as the starting point for change.
Her approach is straightforward. Sessions aim to identify what is getting in the way day to day and then try small, doable steps to make things better.
Background and approach
She uses talk-based methods that help people reframe difficult thoughts, set realistic goals, and build motivation. That can make big problems feel more manageable over time. Susan has worked with a wide range of concerns beyond mood and attention, including grief, compassion fatigue, addictions, parenting strain, and life transitions.
She also supports people dealing with caregiving stress, blended family issues, divorce and separation, and end-of-life challenges. Her experience includes helping those facing isolation, first-responder stress, and struggles with intimacy and relationships. In sessions she draws on Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
Those approaches are used in a flexible way to match what a person needs in the moment. She prefers clear, practical plans and checks in often to see what is working. Susan works with adults in Maine and offers several online and phone formats for scheduling convenience.
She encourages people to take the first step and complete the short matching process to get started.
Approaches that fit online care
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following the person's lead so sessions reflect what matters most to them. It helps when someone needs understanding and support to make their own choices. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions, and works well when someone wants concrete tools for anxiety, depression, or attention-related challenges. Motivational Interviewing is a short, goal-focused way to strengthen a person's own reasons for change and to build readiness for action.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals and preferences, then try methods that fit those needs. That collaborative process means approaches can change over time based on what helps most.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls are useful for in-depth conversation and face-to-face interaction. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Live chat and text messaging can be a quick way to check in between sessions or to fit a short appointment into a busy day. These options make it easier to schedule therapy around work, caregiving, or travel while keeping the focus on practical steps and steady progress.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Divorce and separation
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Parenting issues
- Postpartum depression
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 17 years
- Licensed
- Maine
- Languages
- English
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