- Goal oriented
- Skill building
- LGBT informed
About Susan
Susan Blanchard is a licensed counselor who brings four years of clinical experience to her work in Illinois. She holds LCPC and LPC credentials and focuses on helping people manage depression, anxiety, grief, and life transitions. She aims to treat each person with respect, sensitivity, and compassion.
Susan frames sessions around practical conversation and clear goals. She adapts the plan to each person's situation and priorities. That might mean learning new skills for handling stress or changing patterns that contribute to low mood.
Her approach includes hands-on strategies from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and skills training drawn from Dialectical Behavior Therapy. She also uses existential and solution-focused ideas where they fit a person's concerns. These methods guide short-term problem solving and deeper work about meaning and values.
Susan has worked with people facing LGBT concerns, relationship and family problems, parenting challenges, and identity topics such as gender dysphoria. She also addresses codependency, intimacy-related questions, and non-traditional relationship structures like polyamory and kink-related issues when those are part of a person's needs.
Sessions are collaborative and straightforward. Susan helps people set realistic steps, practice new skills between meetings, and check progress regularly. She encourages clients to ask questions about the plan and to shape therapy around what matters most to them.
How her approaches inform online work
Susan uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors. CBT breaks problems into clear steps and teaches practical exercises to change mood and actions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy informs her skill-based work for managing strong emotions and improving distress tolerance. DBT skills can be useful when someone needs concrete tools to cope with intense feelings.Finding the right approach is treated as a team effort. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped before. Together they decide whether CBT, DBT skills, existential reflection, or solution-focused steps fit best for the person's situation.
The practical benefits of online therapy can include scheduling that fits a busy life, keeping continuity when routines change, and avoiding travel time. Because the biography does not list specific session formats, confirm the available options before booking. That way you can pick the arrangement that best fits your schedule and daily demands.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
4+ years
Credentials
Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she address?
Susan works with depression, anxiety, grief, stress, and coping with life changes. She also supports people dealing with relationship concerns, parenting stress, and issues around intimacy and identity.
What is her therapy style like?
Her style is practical and collaborative with clear goals. Sessions focus on conversation, skill practice, and steps you can take between meetings.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has four years of professional experience in counseling work. That experience includes addressing mood disorders, trauma-related concerns, and life transition issues.
What credentials and location are associated with this therapist?
She holds LCPC and LPC credentials and practices in Illinois. Those are the credentials listed for this clinician.
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
Sessions are offered in English and she does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Session formats are not specified in the biography. Please confirm current session options with the service before booking.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.