About Susan
Susan O'Connell is a licensed clinical social worker with 35 years of experience in Wisconsin. She began her career focused on addictions and has since broadened her work to include depression, stress, anxiety, grief, and relationship concerns. Susan uses plain talk and steady support to help people take the next step when life feels overwhelming.
She meets people where they are and looks for strengths to build on. Sessions often include practical education and short exercises to try between visits.
Background and approach
Susan emphasizes realistic plans that fit a person's day-to-day life rather than one-size-fits-all fixes. Her early work involved helping both people with substance use problems and their family members. Over time she added experience with caregiver strain, chronic medical issues, compassion fatigue, and intimacy or communication struggles.
That history informs a broad view of how stress and life changes affect functioning. Susan relies on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy in her work. She combines these approaches with clear explanations and homework when it helps move progress forward.
The aim is steady steps toward goals, not quick fixes. She practices from Wisconsin and conducts sessions by video, phone, chat, or text messaging. Susan encourages people to take their time choosing a therapist and looks to collaborate on a plan that feels doable.
Approaches and online sessions that fit your life
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the person rather than the technique. The therapist listens without judgment and helps clients uncover their own solutions and priorities. This approach can help with anxiety, self-esteem, and relationship concerns.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions interact. It uses clear steps and exercises to change patterns that keep stress and anxiety active. CBT can be helpful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes.
Solution-Focused Therapy zeroes in on goals and small workable changes. Sessions emphasize what is already working and build practical steps forward, which can be useful when time is limited or immediate changes are needed.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels manageable. Together they decide which approach or mix of approaches to try and adjust that plan as progress is made.
Online sessions make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video calls let people meet face to face, phone sessions can work when bandwidth or camera use is difficult, and live chat or text messaging suit quick check-ins or brief coaching between sessions. These options help people keep steady work on anxiety and stress without long travel or rigid scheduling.
Questions people ask
What kinds of concerns does Susan address?
How does she approach therapy day to day?
What background and experience does she bring?
Where is she licensed and based?
Which languages are sessions offered in?
What session formats are available?
How are sessions paid for and what do they cost?
How do I begin working with her?
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Grief
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 35 years
- Licensed
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English
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