Susan Mellema

Susan Mellema is a licensed clinical social worker in Illinois with 30 years of professional experience. She focuses on helping people manage addictions, family conflict, trauma and abuse, grief, and parenting challenges. She starts from the belief that each person knows their story best and brings strengths to build on.

She listens with a supportive, nonjudgmental approach. She aims to help people find practical steps they can try between sessions. Conversations are collaborative and paced to each person's comfort level.

Clinically she uses Trauma-Focused Therapy alongside Client-Centered Therapy and cognitive behavioral techniques to address difficult memories, unhelpful thinking patterns, and everyday stress. Motivational Interviewing and Solution-Focused Therapy are also part of her toolkit when people want help clarifying goals or making changes related to substance use or relationships.

People come to her for a range of concerns including adoption and foster care questions, blended family issues, caregiving stress, codependency, communication struggles, divorce and separation, and problems tied to illness or first responder work. She also supports those dealing with guilt, shame, and multicultural issues.

Susan frames therapy as a collaborative process. She works to help people set achievable goals and to use their existing strengths to move toward a more manageable, meaningful life.

How trauma-informed and goal-focused approaches work online

Trauma-Focused Therapy helps people address the impact of traumatic events by carefully processing memories and reactions. It aims to reduce the hold of painful memories and teach coping skills for distressing moments.

Client-Centered Therapy puts the person's own goals and values at the center of sessions. The therapist listens, reflects, and supports people as they make choices and take steps that feel right for them.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thinking and behavior that keep problems going. It offers concrete tools to test unhelpful thoughts and to try different actions that can change how someone feels.

Choosing the right mix of methods is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about needs, goals, and preferences, and together they will adjust the approach over time so it fits how the person wants to work.

Confirm current session options before booking since formats were not specified in the biography. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Many people find it useful for maintaining regular help while juggling work, caregiving, or medical appointments.