Laurie Jo McDonnell, LMFT
Florida · 25 years in practice
Laurie Jo McDonnell is a licensed marriage and family therapist who helps people manage stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and relationship challenges.
License and registration
- LMFT, Florida
- MT2063 · expires March 2027
- NPI
- 1245484864 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 25
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Laurie
Laurie Jo McDonnell is a licensed marriage and family therapist who helps people manage stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and relationship challenges. She speaks plainly and focuses on practical steps that clients can use between sessions. Laurie encourages people to notice their strengths and use them to move forward.
With 25 years of experience practicing in Florida, Laurie draws on a mix of approaches to fit each person’s needs. She uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy to look at how emotions shape connection and interaction.
Background and approach
She also works with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people clarify values and change unhelpful thinking patterns. Sessions are collaborative and paced to the person’s comfort. Clients can expect clear goals, simple tools to try at home, and time to talk through what comes up.
Laurie aims to create a calm, steady space for sorting feelings and choices. She has worked with people facing family conflict, divorce and separation, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and issues around attachment and abandonment. Laurie also supports those coping with aging concerns, cancer, or blended family dynamics.
Her background includes helping people handle communication problems and feelings of emptiness or codependency. Laurie values taking the first step and meeting people where they are. She invites curious, motivated people to try small, manageable changes and see what fits their life.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Laurie lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Depression
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Laurie names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Gottman Method
- Narrative Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Systemic Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How therapy approaches translate to online care
Emotionally-Focused Therapy looks at how feelings shape relationships and responses. Online sessions using EFT focus on naming emotions, following them closely, and changing how people respond to one another to improve connection.Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them. In brief exercises clients learn values-based steps so they can act differently despite uncomfortable emotions.
Client-Centered Therapy puts the person’s experience at the center. The therapist listens with curiosity and reflects what is said so clients feel understood and can find their own solutions.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Laurie will discuss options and collaborate with each person to choose methods that fit their goals and preferences. That exploration happens together and can shift over time as needs change.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls are good for face-to-face conversation and reading expressions. Phone sessions require less bandwidth and can be easier when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat or text-based messaging works well for quick updates, brief exercises, or when typing helps someone organize thoughts. These options make it easier to schedule sessions around work, caregiving, or medical appointments.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and relationship or family problems. Additional areas include caregiver stress, chronic illness, abandonment issues, and communication problems.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her approach is collaborative and down-to-earth, focusing on simple tools and clear goals. Sessions aim to identify strengths and practical steps to try between meetings.
How much experience does she have?
She has 25 years of professional experience working with a wide range of concerns in Florida.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist, LMFT, practicing in Florida.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as session formats.
How does pricing work for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.
More therapists in Florida
See all
Dedra McIntosh
LCSW
Emotion-focused care for everyday struggles
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship
- Trauma and abuse
Steven Carlson
LCSW
Compassionate, steady support for emotional healing
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship
- Family
Tomeccia Maxwell
LMHC
Calm, practical support for everyday challenges
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship
- Family
Is this your profile?
Ask us to correct details or take the page down.
Contact us