- Attachment informed
- Goal oriented
- Mindfulness based
About Susan
Susan Garner is a licensed marriage and family therapist with two decades of clinical work. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain, codependency concerns, grief, and life transitions. Her approach is straightforward and focused on helping clients gain clarity and practical coping skills.
Susan listens first, then helps identify the core issues behind current problems. She frames difficulties as often rooted in early attachments, family patterns, or past trauma. Together with each client she sets clear goals and steps toward change rather than staying stuck in uncertainty.
Sessions mix talking with practical techniques. Susan draws on client-centered conversation, mindfulness exercises, and cognitive-behavioral tools to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. She also uses emotion-focused and attachment ideas when relationships and intimacy are central concerns.
Her work pays attention to how family of origin and communication patterns shape adult relationships. She helps people build healthier boundaries, repair intimacy, and manage strong emotions like anger, shame, or abandonment fears. She also supports clients dealing with career stress, bipolar mood challenges, ADHD, and body image or self-esteem struggles.
Susan has worked with people from diverse backgrounds and with a wide age range. She asks practical questions early on so therapy fits real life. The aim is clearer thinking, stronger connections, and more confidence in daily choices.
How attachment, CBT, and mindfulness translate to online work
Susan uses Attachment-Based ideas, Client-Centered methods, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in her work. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationship patterns shape current intimacy and trust, helping people notice and change repeating relationship habits. Client-Centered methods create a listening space where the client's perspective guides the session and their goals come first. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and offers concrete exercises to shift unhelpful patterns.Deciding which approach fits best is something Susan does together with each person. She welcomes questions, tries out different tools, and adjusts based on what feels most helpful. That collaborative process helps shape short-term goals and longer-term changes so work stays relevant to the client's life.
If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session options when you schedule. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people use mindfulness exercises and behavioral assignments between sessions to keep progress moving forward.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Credentials
California, Oregon
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
Susan supports people coping with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, trauma, codependency, and life transitions.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
She combines listening with practical tools, using client-centered conversation, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavioral techniques to set goals and make changes.
What is her background and experience?
She has about 20 years of clinical experience working with a wide range of concerns and life stages.
What credential and region should I know about?
She is an LMFT licensed in California and Oregon and practices out of California.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Please confirm current session format options before booking as formats are not specified here.
How does cost and payment work?
Cost varies by location and with therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.