About Susan
Susan Zacharias helps people who are coping with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, depression, and major life changes. She writes in a straightforward way and meets people where they are. Susan is an Illinois LCPC - Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor - with two decades of counseling experience.
She believes everyone runs into rough patches. Some problems are short term, and others take longer to sort out. Susan takes time to learn about each person and avoids a one-size-fits-all approach.
How Susan works
She chooses methods that match the person, not the other way around. Susan uses EMDR and guided imagery to quickly uncover deeper concerns when that seems helpful. She also draws on psychodynamic and trauma-focused ideas and other techniques she finds useful for a given person.
Handouts and short exercises are offered to guide sessions and support learning between meetings. She has a long history in health care and has seen a wide range of human struggle and growth over 40 years in that field, and 20 years in professional counseling. That background shapes a calm, steady style that balances practical steps with time to reflect.
Susan accepts that recovery and change look different for everyone. She is willing to discuss 12-step approaches when they might help with compulsive behaviors, while also recognizing they are not the right fit for all people. She looks forward to meeting people at this point in their life journey.
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.
Also listed
Training and background
| Register | LCPC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 20 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Illinois |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Online approaches for trauma and long-term change
EMDR is a structured method that helps reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories. In online sessions it can involve guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation while the person focuses on a memory and notices new insights or relief. Psychodynamic therapy looks at patterns and early influences that shape feelings and behavior; it helps people connect current difficulties with past experiences and long-standing emotions.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss what feels most helpful and adapt methods based on the person's goals, history, and preferences. That collaborative conversation guides whether to emphasize trauma-focused techniques, EMDR, psychodynamic reflection, or a mix of methods.
Online therapy offers flexible options like video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be simpler to fit into a break, live chat is useful for shorter check-ins, and text-based messaging supports ongoing brief contact and reflection between sessions. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life while still working toward meaningful change.
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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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