Laurie Jo McDonnell
Calm, practical support for life’s hard moments
LMFT Florida
- Experience
- 25 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family
- Approaches
- Gottman Method, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Languages
- English
About Laurie
Laurie Jo McDonnell is a licensed marriage and family therapist who helps people manage stress, anxiety, relationship strains, grief, and depression. She speaks plainly and focuses on practical steps that can fit into a busy life.
Background and approach
Laurie Jo encourages clients to notice their strengths and use them to move forward. With 25 years of clinical experience, she draws on a mix of approaches to match a person’s needs.
She uses the Gottman Method ideas for improving communication and reducing conflict. She also applies Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people change unhelpful patterns and accept difficult feelings.
Sessions emphasize clear goals and small, doable changes. Laurie Jo listens carefully and helps people practice new ways of interacting and coping.
Conversations often include skills practice, reflection, and planning for real-life moments. She has worked with issues that often appear together, such as attachment concerns, blended family challenges, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and grief after loss.
Laurie Jo also supports those facing abandonment issues, codependency, and problems rooted in family of origin. Laurie Jo holds a Florida LMFT, which indicates she is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Florida.
Sessions are offered in English and are available through a variety of online formats. She aims to make the first steps toward help as straightforward as possible.
How therapy approaches guide online care
Laurie Jo often uses the Gottman Method to help people improve communication and reduce recurring conflict; it focuses on small interaction habits and clearer conversations. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice hard emotions, choose values-based actions, and build psychological flexibility. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, targets unhelpful thoughts and behaviors with practical exercises and structured practice to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression.Finding the right approach is a shared process. Laurie Jo works together with each person to figure out which methods match their goals and daily life. She adapts techniques during sessions and checks in regularly to make sure the plan feels useful and realistic.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls let people work through relationship or emotional material visually. Phone sessions can be easier when internet bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging allow for shorter check-ins, quick skill practice, and written reflections between sessions. These options let clients fit therapy around work, caregiving, and other commitments while using the approaches above in ways that suit their routine.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Laurie Jo address?
What is her therapeutic style?
How much experience does she have?
What credentials and location are listed?
Which languages and international options are available?
What session formats are offered?
How is cost handled?
What are the steps to get started?
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Licensed in
Florida
Languages
English