About Martha
Martha McConnell is a licensed clinical social worker who brings 40 years of experience to her practice in New York. She began her career in substance abuse treatment and has since worked across mental health, prevention, developmental services, and employee assistance programs. Martha values straightforward conversation and practical steps that help people feel steadier in daily life.
Over her career she has supported people facing addiction, trauma, domestic violence, grief, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.
Background and approach
She also helps clients manage caregiver stress, codependency, relationship strain, and the emotional aftermath of separation or disaster. Martha pays attention to how past experiences shape present reactions and coping patterns. In sessions she focuses on identifying strengths and building manageable skills.
That can mean creating small routines, learning ways to reduce panic, or practicing strategies to manage intrusive thoughts and compulsions. Martha uses plain language and aims for clear, achievable steps rather than jargon. Her background includes work in prevention programs and counseling through employee assistance services, which taught her to tailor care to real-world schedules and workplace concerns.
She has long experience helping people navigate substance use challenges alongside other emotional needs. Martha offers care in English and accepts international clients. She asks new people to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions that suit their timing and needs.
She describes her role as a partner who helps people move toward the life they want.
How evidence-based techniques translate to online care
Martha uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on skills and practical change. One common method she applies helps people manage anxiety and panic by teaching breathing and grounding exercises, tracking triggers, and rehearsing new responses. This is useful for panic attacks, persistent worry, and overwhelming stress.Another approach she often uses helps people facing addictive behaviors and relapse risk by mapping routines, identifying high-risk moments, and creating step-by-step coping plans. That work also addresses related issues like guilt, codependency, and family stress. A third thread in her practice focuses on trauma recovery through paced, supportive conversations that help people make sense of painful experiences and reduce their daily impact.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work together. She will collaborate with each person to choose methods that fit their goals, daily life, and comfort level. The plan can change as progress is made and priorities shift.
Online sessions offer practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction for deeper conversation and teaching exercises. Phone sessions can be a simpler option when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for short check-ins, mood tracking, or quick coaching between longer sessions. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to keep continuity when life is unpredictable.
Frequently asked questions
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Can sessions be conducted in languages other than English or with international clients?
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Experience
- 40 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English