About John
John MacDonald is a licensed professional counselor in New Jersey with 11 years of experience. He focuses on everyday struggles like stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, and low self-esteem. He also supports people facing grief, career stress, sleep problems, and questions about identity and relationships.
He keeps conversations direct and practical. Sessions aim to clarify what feels stuck and try simple steps that can be used between meetings. He creates an open space where people can say what they think without judgment and figure out what matters most to them.
Background and approach
MacDonald has taught addictions counseling as an adjunct graduate professor of psychology. He has also held leadership roles in statewide counseling organizations, including past service as president of the New Jersey Mental Health Counselors Association and work as the Ethics Chair of the New Jersey Counseling Association.
His approach draws from a few methods that help people change habits and process hard memories. He uses talk-focused, evidence-informed techniques to address unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, and he incorporates mindfulness and present-focused work when it fits the client. Clients can expect a collaborative process.
The therapist and client set goals together and adjust methods based on progress. The tone is straightforward, supportive, and tailored to the problems people bring in.
How his approaches translate to online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and responding to what each person needs in the moment. It emphasizes empathy and helping people explore their values and choices, which can help with low self-worth, relationship questions, and life changes.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches simple tools to test unhelpful thoughts and change routines, useful for anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, often called EMDR, is used to process traumatic memories in a structured way. When appropriate, it can help reduce the emotional intensity of past events that keep affecting daily life.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose and adjust methods based on goals, comfort, and progress. That means trying a method, checking how it feels, and changing course if needed.
Online formats make regular sessions easier to fit into busy lives. Video calls let people use visual cues and maintain a face-to-face rhythm. Phone sessions can work when less bandwidth is available or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging are useful for short check-ins, skill practice, or when scheduling a live session is difficult. These options support flexibility so therapy can continue around work, family, or other obligations.
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What this counselor works with
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed
- New Jersey
- Languages
- English