About Susan
Susan Mellema is a licensed social worker in Illinois with 30 years of experience. She draws on long practice to help people manage addictions, family conflict, trauma, grief, and parenting stress. Susan approaches each person as the expert on their own life and looks for existing strengths to build on.
She listens without judgment and focuses on practical steps people can take right away. Conversations center on what matters most to the client and on realistic goals for change.
Background and approach
Susan uses straightforward tools to address patterns that cause pain and to reduce behaviors that get in the way of daily life. When addiction or substance use is involved she combines clear feedback with motivation-based conversations to help people consider options. For trauma and loss she uses trauma-focused methods and pacing that respect each person’s comfort level.
In family and parenting concerns she helps people improve communication and set boundaries that protect wellbeing. Susan also supports people dealing with adoption and foster care issues, blended family stress, caregiver strain, cancer-related concerns, and multicultural challenges. She attends to feelings like guilt, shame, and unresolved grief while helping clients find workable solutions.
Sessions are collaborative and goal oriented. Susan helps clients break big problems into small steps that fit their lives. The aim is steady, manageable progress toward clearer relationships and more reliable coping.
Approaches that fit online care
Susan uses client-centered therapy to follow each person’s lead and build on their strengths. This approach focuses on listening carefully and helping clients make choices that fit their values and goals.She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. CBT provides concrete tools to change unhelpful patterns and is often useful for addiction, anxiety, and mood concerns.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist and client review goals, needs, and preferences and pick methods that match those priorities. That partnership guides whether sessions emphasize skills practice, trauma pacing, or motivational conversations.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video works well for in-depth conversations and nonverbal cues, while phone sessions can fit a break during the day or when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, tracking progress, and staying connected between longer sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy lives while keeping the focus on practical progress.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does Susan address?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How much experience does she have?
What credential and region does she hold?
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Are international clients supported?
What session formats are available?
How are fees and scheduling handled?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Adoption and foster care
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Intellectual disability
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self-love
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed
- Illinois
- Languages
- English