Macdara MacColl (she/her), MS, LMFT, is a Certified EFT Couples Therapist, Certified AASECT Sex Therapist, and IFS Therapist. As an Adjunct Professor for the University of St. Joseph, Macdara teaches courses on couples, sex, and family counseling for master’s degree candidates in the Professional Counseling Program.
She received her MS, MFT from Central Connecticut State University and has pursued advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) as well as mindfulness and acceptance-based practices. Her research with Dr. Dan Weiner on the role of mutual validation in couple’s relationships was published in the International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, and she has guest lectured on various mental health topics, including the neurobiology of interpersonal relationships. She received advanced training as a Sex Therapist through the Institute for Sexuality Education and Enlightenment and Modern Sex Therapy Institutes.
Macdara helps her clients identify the patterns that keep relationships stuck, and guides couples through the process of transforming their interactions into safe, loving connections. She works with couples on issues of sexual intimacy, helping them rediscover the deep pleasure of erotic play.
Macdara spent many years at Westbrook Youth and Family Services, Inc., in Westbrook, Ct., supporting individuals, families, and couples through therapy, groups, and healthy family programs. As clinical director, she proudly oversaw the agency’s clinic and in-school mental health services. She especially enjoyed supervising the many wonderful clinicians dedicated to bringing healing to children and families. She taught court-mandated parenting education for divorcing couples, and was honored to help parents support their children through the divorce process.
Even prior to her clinical career, Macdara was dedicated to helping families and individuals navigate interpersonal connection. She was a pioneer of online community, developing one of the first internet parenting communities in the 1990s. Her industry-leading work in creating safe virtual spaces for people to connect and support each other was featured in many publications and books, such as the New York Times and Wired magazine. She was a frequent presenter on the topic of online community, and in 1997 was a featured speaker at the White House, where she shared the podium with President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore as they presented the administration’s first e-commerce policy.