About Susan
Susan "Susie" Maguire is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Illinois with 12 years of experience. She focuses on helping people who feel overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, or depression. Susie offers a calm, direct way of working so clients can talk through what matters most to them and build steady coping skills.
She has a strong history of working with LGBTQ+ issues and supports people exploring gender and sexuality questions.
Background and approach
Her practice addresses social anxiety, isolation, and relationship stress in plain terms so clients can use what they learn right away. Sessions tend to center on identifying unhelpful patterns and testing small changes in everyday life. She emphasizes self-compassion and practical routines that reduce mood swings and seasonal lows.
For new parents or people facing postpartum challenges she helps set realistic expectations and manageable steps. Susan draws on approaches that are evidence based to address worry, panic, and social fears. She also supports caregivers struggling with burnout and people working through family of origin problems or shame and guilt.
Her style is straightforward, warm, and affirming. People reach out when anxiety or depression starts to limit daily life. Susie guides conversations toward clearer goals and short-term strategies, while also attending to deeper identity and relationship questions.
She communicates in English and works remotely with clients in Illinois.
Evidence-based approaches and flexible online care
Two common approaches used are problem-focused skills work and exploratory therapy. Problem-focused skills work teaches specific tools for managing anxiety and stress, such as breathing techniques, exposure to social situations, and step-by-step behavior changes that reduce avoidance. Exploratory therapy looks at personal history, identity, and relationships to understand how patterns of shame or family of origin issues affect current mood and self-worth.Another strand centers on support for gender and sexuality questions, offering affirming conversations and practical steps for people navigating gender dysphoria or LGBTQ+ related stress. These sessions aim to translate insights into everyday routines that improve energy and mood.
Finding the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will work with each person to match methods to their goals, needs, and comfort level, adjusting the plan as progress is made and priorities change.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video offers face-to-face interaction for skill demonstrations, phone can be useful when bandwidth is limited or during a short check-in, and messaging or chat supports quick reflections between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or school schedules and let people choose what feels most practical.
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Depression
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
- Experience
- 12 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English
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