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 helping both people with substance use challenges and their loved ones. She now brings long experience to concerns like depression, stress and anxiety, grief, and caregiver strain.
Susan aims to meet people where they are and help them find practical next steps. Her style is straightforward and collaborative.
How Susan works
She listens first, then helps people identify strengths and small, doable changes. She uses education and homework between sessions to build new skills. Susan emphasizes realistic plans that fit day-to-day life.
Susan works with issues across relationships, family dynamics, intimacy, and parenting concerns. She also addresses career stress, life transitions, money worries, and challenges tied to aging or chronic medical conditions. Addiction and substance use remain an area of long-standing focus.
Her approach draws on client-centered methods and cognitive behavioral tools, with goal-focused, solution-oriented conversations. Sessions usually include practical strategies and steps to try between meetings. The aim is steady progress rather than quick fixes.
Susan’s practice accommodates different formats, and she supports people who prefer phone, video, chat, or text-based messaging. She explains options and helps people choose what will work best for their schedule and daily life.
Susan lists 3 ways of working on the entry:
What Susan works with
The areas below are the ones Susan selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- 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
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 35 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Wisconsin |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches applied to online care
Client-centered therapy focuses on respectful listening and helping people find their own answers. The therapist creates a space where concerns are heard and priorities come from the person seeking help, which is useful for relationship strain, grief, and life changes.Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works by identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors. It offers concrete tools for anxiety, depression, stress, and coping with addiction or caregiver fatigue through practical exercises and homework.
Solution-focused therapy centers on setting clear, short-term goals and identifying small steps that lead to change. This approach is well suited to people who want focused, goal-driven sessions to resolve specific problems like communication issues, commitment concerns, or career decisions.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences and then recommend methods to try. Plans can be adjusted as progress is made, so the therapy can adapt to changing circumstances.
Online formats offer flexibility and practical benefits. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when bandwidth permits. Phone sessions work well when a shorter check-in is needed or when video is not possible. Live chat and text-based messaging make it easier to keep momentum between sessions, fit support into a busy day, or communicate without being on camera. These options help people access consistent care around their schedules.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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