LCMHC, 11 years of experience
I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) and Certified Sex Therapy Informed Professional (CSTIP), as well as a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP), in North Carolina with over 10 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with sex, sexuality, and intimacy-related issues (including, but not limited to: individuals, couples, traditional and non-traditional relationships, heterosexual, LGBTQ+, and lifestyle clients). I also have experience and training in working with clients on stress and anxiety, work/performance stress, relationship issues, MK/expat issues, family relationships, faith deconstruction, postpartum concerns, & parenting issues. I have my Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and my Master's of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from UNC-Greensboro, and have since pursued further training and education in several areas, including sex therapy, couples counseling, and postpartum issues. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!
In our first session, we'll spend our time mainly gathering information to help us structure our work together, including what brings you to counseling, what your life is like now, and what life has been like for you. We'll start clarifying goals (and how to measure when you've met them), and I may identify a mental health diagnosis, if applicable. Most importantly, you'll start to get a feel for me and my style, and whether or not I may be a good fit for you. Above all else, finding a counselor who feels right for you matters most, so you can consider our first few sessions your chance to determine if I'm a good fit, or if we need to work together to get you switched to another counselor to try.
Having grown up internationally, in many different countries around the world, I have a unique understanding of and respect for the ways culture, society, ethnicity, family history, and many other factors play into a person's experience of the world. My experience with sports and athletics enables me to use positive, goal-oriented, strength-based psychology, as well as harness the power of mental training, to empower clients in achieving their goals and shaping the way they navigate life. My graduate school education at one of the top programs in the nation, as well as extensive post-graduate training, have equipped me with the resources to serve clients well in achieving the changes they want to see in themselves.
I love working with adults and couples who are ready to take steps towards making the changes they want to see in their lives and their relationships, including self-reflection, practicing new ways of thinking and behaving, and developing new skills. Clients who are prepared to spend some time examining themselves and the world around them (for example: what is and isn't working for them, and why), as well as putting in the effort to build and enact new strategies, have a high chance of achieving the goals they set at the start of counseling.
4 ratings with written reviews
April 28, 2025
I always look forward to my time with Susan. She is so easy to talk with and always gives insightful and authentic feedback. I feel like she gives me space when I struggle deeply with giving myself any. I always leave our sessions feeling optimistic and lighter. I can be all over the place, and she does a great job at retaining detail, touching back on an issue we may have skated through too quickly, and asking meaningful questions. I really value her feedback and perspective. She's great.
March 18, 2025
Susan is very easy to connect with and it’s clear from the feedback she provides that she is an extremely thoughtful listener. My sessions with he often mimic what it feels like to have met an old friend for coffee who I hadn’t caught up with in ages in terms of comfort. I feel like even though I can be all over the place, she is great at keeping things structured and asking questions that keep me on track. She comes off very down to earth and kind and I always appreciate her thoughts. She’s one of my favorite therapists I’ve ever seen!
February 19, 2025
Susan has helped me to feel so safe and supported in unpacking issues that have been weighing me down. I appreciate her ability to open my eyes to new perspectives, ask thought provoking questions, and for always coming equipped with supportive affirmations.
During Sex Therapy, I work with clients to pinpoint their unique goals, factoring in their biology/physiology, as well as environmental, social, and cultural contexts. We will use research-based approaches and techniques that support a positive, healthy, empowered sexuality and relationship with self and sex.
When I work with couples, I use the Emotionally Focused Therapy approach because it has been proven to help couples truly understand what is actually driving the challenges in their relationship, and build tools for approaching these challenges in healthier, warmer, more collaborative ways.
CBT can achieve powerful transformations by focusing on a person's thoughts and behaviors. It is a very structured, goal-oriented approach that uses tools and techniques to help clients achieve a wide variety of concerns and goals.
I use Solution Focused Brief Treatment with clients to achieve very specific, defined goals when there is already a high level of motivation. With this approach, we work together to identify specific steps to achieve the goal(s), as well as identifying obstacles, and tactics for optimizing success.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps clients change their relationship to the world around them in a way that relieves angst, stress, fear, and anxiety as the client builds healthy coping tools for navigating life's stressors and moving forward with intention and purpose.