Hello and welcome! I'm happy that you are viewing my profile. It means that you recognize that no one should travel through life's challenges and difficulties alone. Therapy is a very positive step in working through issues and striving to become your best and happiest self. Human beings are seekers of connection and the relationship between the therapist and client can be a very powerful and healing one. I have been on both sides of this relationship and have seen the powerful changes in both my clients and myself. I consider it an honor and a privilege to have someone put their trust in me enough to be able to be their most vulnerable selves and share their innermost thoughts with me. This is something that takes time and I work hard to earn that trust. Let me tell you a little about my education and experience. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 30 years of diverse experience in the field of social work. I received my BSW from VCU in 1993 and my MSW from VCU in 2014. I have worked in various roles throughout my career to include at-risk youth , Intellectual Disabilities, Serious Mental Illness, Intensive Community Treatment, Crisis services, Substance Use Disorders, Community Mental Health, Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities, and as a licensed therapist working with adults, couples, and older adults dealing with trauma, depression, anxiety, life transitions, grief, relationship challenges, substance use disorders, and problems with self esteem.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
During our first session together we will begin to get to know one another, briefly review your intake paperwork and informed consent information, offer you the opportunity to discuss what has and has not worked for you in therapy in the past, and get to work on your presenting concerns and goals.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My past clients have frequently stated that they felt I was warm, authentic, sincere, able to use humor as appropriate, and that I created a warm, trusting relationship and space for them to work on difficult and painful issues effecting their lives. I think my strengths as a therapist are being able to see the inherent good in all of my clients, allowing them the autonomy of personal choice, creating a safe space and a strong therapeutic alliance, and working from a person-centered, strengths based approach. I am flexible and have the ability to use a variety of interventions to meet the needs of each individual.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I enjoy working with individuals who are motivated for change but may feel stuck and lack the tools to reach their goals. My main focus is working with adults experiencing depression, anxiety, and trauma, but also enjoy working with individuals experiencing a wide variety of concerns to include grief, self esteem, life transitions, substance misuse, and relationship difficulties. I enjoy helping clients explore the things holding them back (distorted thoughts, false beliefs, early experiences that shaped these beliefs and the impact on relationships) so that they can learn healthier ways of thinking and relating to themselves and others.
About Susan Seip
Specializes in
Serves ages
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Person-centered (Rogerian)
As a person-centered clinician I meet my clients where they are. I believe that you are the expert of your own life and with the right environment can tap into your strengths and natural resources for healing. This approach is non- directive and allows the client to take the lead. The quality of the therapeutic relationship is emphasized as an integral part of the healing process.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT is an evidenced based treatment that is structured and goal directed. CBT focuses on the relationship between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Throughout our lives we have developed thought patterns based on our experiences. Many of those thought patterns are faulty and harmful to our self-esteem and our perceptions of others. Together we will work on learning to identify and challenge negative or distorted thought patterns so that you can replace them with healthier and more realistic ones. Learning to identify these cognitive distortions and reframe thoughts provides the opportunity to become less reactive, reduce anxiety, and improve our relationships.
Trauma Informed Care
As human beings we experience a multitude of events throughout our lives and many of us will have experienced traumatic events at some point along the way. In our work together I will prioritize creating a safe environment based on mutual trust for you to process your experiences. We will create a therapeutic relationship based on trust and respect that will allow you to feel understood, valued, and empowered in your life. The outcome is an understanding of how trauma impacts us, how our past reactions were protective in nature, and how to employ healthier ways of coping. You have the ability to make sense of what has happened to you while taking back your power and creating a life that offers you peace and happiness.
Psychodynamic
I utilize a psychodynamic approach in my work with clients and find it helpful for assisting clients to understand the link between early childhood experiences and relationships and our patterns of thinking and relating to ourselves and others in the present. We all have unconscious beliefs about ourselves and others that formed during various times in our lives, some of those experiences happening at a time before we even have memory recall. By exploring past experiences and the unconscious beliefs we have formed, these beliefs can be understood in the context of present life and our interpersonal relationships, allowing us to challenge the beliefs and the patterns that we have formed so that we can improve our relationship to ourselves and others and develop healthier ways of coping and communicating.
Attachment-based
Humans are innately driven to find connection with others. Our attachment styles develop based upon our earliest experiences with our primary caregivers. Based on how our needs were met, we learned about trust, security, and safety. The result is developing either a secure, anxious, or avoidant attachment style. Our attachment styles have a marked impact on how we show up and behave in our interpersonal relationships. By understanding your attachment style and how it developed, you can have increased understanding of how you respond regarding trust, safety and security in relationships, and learn to recognize what triggers you and healthier ways to manage your emotions.