About Susan
Susan Laird is a counsellor with 13 years of professional experience in Australia. She helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, or coping with major life changes. She believes people carry strengths they can use to move forward, and she offers calm, steady support as clients take those steps.
Susan keeps sessions straightforward and practical. She centres the client's story and works at a pace set by the person seeking help.
Background and approach
Conversations focus on what is causing distress now and on small, achievable changes that reduce pressure day to day. Her approach is collaborative. Susan listens first and asks questions that help people notice patterns, reactions and what gets in the way of feeling better.
She helps clients build skills for managing strong emotions and for making clearer choices when life feels unstable. Susan also gives space to difficult memories and feelings when needed. She helps people work through shame, guilt and fears of abandonment in ways that feel manageable.
For those affected by post-traumatic stress, she supports steady steps toward feeling safer and more in control. Practical matters such as scheduling and session format are handled openly so people know what to expect. Susan encourages anyone who is thinking about therapy to take the first step when they are ready, and she stays alongside them through the process.
Therapeutic approaches and online options
Susan uses well established, evidence-based techniques that focus on reducing anxiety and helping people manage distress. One common approach is skills-based work that teaches practical strategies for calming the body and handling worry. These techniques help with panic, ongoing anxiety and day-to-day stress by giving clear steps people can practise between sessions.Another useful approach is a trauma-informed method that helps people safely address upsetting memories and their emotional effects. This involves pacing the work, building coping skills first, and gradually helping someone feel more in control of triggers and reactions. These methods are aimed at reducing the hold of past events on current life rather than promising a quick fix.
Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Susan works together with each person to identify goals, preferences and what feels most helpful. That collaborative process guides decisions about which techniques to use and how quickly to progress.
Online therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, allow shorter or more frequent check-ins, or avoid needing to be on camera. They also let people continue therapy when travel or schedule changes make face-to-face meetings difficult. Appropriately qualified therapists can adapt these formats to deliver meaningful, practical support.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
- Experience
- 13 years
- Licensed
- Languages
- English
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