Susan Ryder , LCPC

Susan Ryder is a Maine-based licensed clinician with 17 years of professional experience working with adults facing life transitions and emotional challenges. She holds an LCPC, which stands for Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and brings a background focused on helping people manage stress and anxiety, build motivation, strengthen self-esteem and confidence, address depression, and navigate changes in their lives.

Her practice centers on the belief that each person is the expert of their own story and that clients already possess strengths that can be mobilized to overcome difficulties. She adopts a collaborative, respectful stance, helping clients identify practical strategies while honoring their values and lived experience.

Recognizing that taking the first step toward therapy can require courage, she affirms and supports people at the start of that process. Her approach aims to empower clients to move forward with clearer goals, renewed motivation, and greater confidence in handling the challenges they face.

Therapeutic approaches and online care with Susan Ryder

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on creating a respectful, nonjudgmental environment where the therapist listens carefully and follows the client's lead. This approach helps people explore their values and build self-understanding, which can be useful for improving self-esteem and navigating life changes.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a practical, skills-based method that helps identify unhelpful thought and behavior patterns and replace them with more effective strategies. It is commonly used for managing anxiety, depression, and stress through concrete exercises and goal-setting.

Motivational Interviewing supports clients who feel ambivalent about change by exploring their own reasons for making a shift and strengthening internal motivation. It can be especially helpful for issues involving motivation, habits, and addictive patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Susan will work collaboratively with each person to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. She partners with clients to tailor the work rather than imposing a single model.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - making it easier to fit care into busy schedules, maintain continuity during life transitions, and access licensed professionals from different locations.