Susan Ryder, LCPC

Maine | Online sessions in Maine | English | Book with Susan »

Narrative-minded counselor helping with life changes

Details

Name	Susan Ryder
Credentials	LCPC
Based in	Maine
Licensed in	Maine
Session format	Online
Languages	English
Years in practice	17

About Susan

Susan Ryder is a licensed clinical professional counselor with 17 years of experience working in Maine. She focuses on everyday challenges like stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and coping with life changes. She speaks plainly and offers steady support to people who feel stuck or overwhelmed.

Susan believes people are the experts in their own stories. She helps them notice strengths they already have. Together they look at patterns that cause pain and try small changes that make life easier.

Background and approach

Her work covers a wide range of concerns including addiction and process addictions, grief and end-of-life issues, parenting and caregiver stress, relationship and intimacy concerns, and challenges related to aging. She also supports people facing divorce, blended family questions, first responder stress, and seasonal mood shifts.

Susan uses familiar, practical methods such as client-centered listening, cognitive behavioral techniques, motivational interviewing, solution-focused work, and narrative practices. Sessions move at a realistic pace and focus on what matters now. Goals are set clearly so progress is easier to track.

Therapy with Susan usually involves talking through current problems, naming unhelpful patterns, and trying approachable experiments between sessions. She encourages curiosity about how personal stories shape feelings and choices. Her style is warm, straightforward, and respectful.

What this therapist works with

Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Self esteem, Depression among the things Susan works with, alongside the areas below.

Approaches listed

Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Susan among the ways she works.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Susan among the ways she works.
Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Susan among the ways she works.
Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Susan among the ways she works.
Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Susan directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.

Narrative Therapy in this listing

Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.

If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Susan directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.

Online session options

How narrative and practical methods translate to online therapy

Online sessions with Susan draw on narrative work and client-centered listening to help people reframe personal stories and notice strengths. Narrative Therapy focuses on how the stories we tell shape our feelings and choices, and it can help with grief, life changes, identity questions, and relationship patterns. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathic listening and respect for each person's experience, making space to name concerns and set priorities together.

She also uses cognitive behavioral ideas to spot unhelpful thoughts and try small experiments that change behavior. That approach is useful for anxiety, depression, and problem habits because it links thinking, feeling, and doing in concrete steps. Susan treats deciding on an approach as a collaboration - she will discuss options and tailor methods to a person's goals and preferences rather than imposing a single style.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging so sessions can fit different rhythms of life. Video lets people keep a face-to-face feel, phone can work when bandwidth is limited, chat or text are useful for quick check-ins or if typing feels easier. These options aim to make getting help more flexible and easier to match to a person's schedule and needs.

Common questions about this listing

What concerns does she address?

She helps with stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and coping with life changes, plus addictions, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting, ADHD, and many other related concerns.

What is her therapeutic style like?

Her style blends narrative thinking with client-centered listening and practical tools from cognitive behavioral and solution-focused approaches. Sessions tend to be conversational and goal-oriented.

How much experience does she have?

She has 17 years of professional experience working with people on a range of emotional and life concerns.

Where is she licensed and based?

She is a Maine licensed clinical professional counselor, listed as LCPC, and practices out of Maine.

Which languages are supported?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.

How is cost handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session according to therapist availability.

Contacting this therapist

Sessions with Susan are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Susan where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.

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