- 39 years experience
- Strengths focused
- Trauma aware
About Susan
Susan Merletti is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in California with 39 years of work experience. She approaches therapy with respect for each person's story and strengths. She encourages people to take the first step toward a more fulfilling life and offers steady support during the healing process.
Susan helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression. She also works with those facing relationship struggles, unresolved trauma, and the challenges of cancer or chronic illness. Her practice includes concerns such as codependency, grief, intimacy issues, and compassion fatigue.
In sessions she centers the person's perspective and uses a mix of approaches. She draws on client-centered ideas to listen and respond to what matters most to the person. She uses cognitive behavioral techniques to notice and change unhelpful patterns of thought and behavior. She also brings mindfulness practices and psychodynamic ideas when they fit the client's needs.
Susan aims for practical, understandable steps that people can use between sessions. She focuses on small changes that build on existing strengths. Her style is calm and grounded, with attention to both current challenges and deeper life patterns.
People who want a steady, experienced clinician to talk things through may find her approach helpful. She supports people as they sort through emotions, make changes, and work toward clearer goals.
Approaches for online work and therapy choices
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and following the person's priorities, helping people feel heard and understood as they figure out next steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and offers practical exercises to change patterns that cause distress. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve awareness of emotions.Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. The therapist will work together with the person to identify which methods fit their goals, needs, and preferences. That collaborative process includes checking what feels useful and adjusting the focus over time.
Confirm session formats before booking so you know which options are offered. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow for a shorter check-in when needed. It can also allow a steady pace of work on issues like anxiety, grief, codependency, and chronic illness, while using the approaches mentioned above to guide each session.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
39+ years
Credentials
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, addictions, grief, intimacy concerns, codependency, and many related issues.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style centers the person's perspective and uses clear, practical steps. She blends listening with actionable techniques and a calm, steady presence.
What sort of professional background does she have?
She has 39 years of professional work experience supporting people with emotional and life challenges, including chronic illness and unresolved trauma.
What credentials and region are listed?
She is an LPCC - Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor - practicing in California.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Are international clients accepted?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does billing and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule 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.