- Client-centered work
- DBT skills use
- Grief and trauma
About Susan
Susan Trefts is a licensed clinical social worker in Oregon and Washington with 21 years of professional experience. She works with adults who are carrying heavy feelings such as guilt, shame, anxiety, stress, grief, and the aftereffects of trauma and abuse. She also addresses concerns around self-esteem, compassion fatigue, and issues many women describe as weighing on daily life.
Susan believes people know important things about their own story. She offers a practical, person-centered way of talking through what is hard. Sessions focus on identifying strengths, naming feelings, and testing small changes that feel possible. The emphasis is on plain, steady work rather than sudden fixes.
Her approach blends client-centered therapy with elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, using listening, validation, and skills practice to help with emotional regulation and distressing thoughts. That combination aims to make difficult emotions easier to recognize and manage in daily life.
Susan has supported people through grief, post-traumatic stress, body image struggles, and relationship communication problems. She also addresses forgiveness, life purpose, and building self-love without judging how someone arrived at their feelings. Her experience includes helping people who feel burned out by caregiving or compassion fatigue.
People who reach out will follow a simple start-up process: complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule an initial session. Susan describes therapy as collaborative, with the client’s priorities guiding each step.
How her approaches translate to online sessions
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and following the person’s priorities. It means the therapist accepts the client as the expert on their life and helps them make sense of feelings like guilt or shame. This approach is useful for sorting through painful memories, making decisions, and clarifying values.Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, brings practical skills for managing strong emotions and improving how someone copes day to day. Skills work can include grounding techniques, emotion regulation strategies, and ways to notice and change unhelpful thinking patterns. DBT-style skills are often helpful for anxiety, trauma reactions, and persistent self-critical thoughts.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to figure out which methods fit their goals and preferences. That collaborative planning is revisited as needs change so sessions stay relevant and focused.
Confirm the exact session formats before booking, as the biography does not list them. Online work can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Some people find phone or video sessions help them practice skills between meetings and apply changes in their everyday life.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
21+ years
Listed in
Washington, Oregon
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address related to guilt and shame?
She works with guilt and shame alongside related issues such as anxiety, trauma, grief, self-esteem, and forgiveness.
How does she approach feelings of guilt or shame?
Her work is client-centered and practical, focusing on naming feelings, identifying strengths, and trying small, doable changes.
What is her professional background and experience?
She has 21 years of professional experience as a social work clinician practicing in Oregon and Washington.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She holds LCSW and LICSW credentials and is licensed to practice in Oregon and Washington.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Please confirm current session format options before booking, as the available formats are not specified in the biography.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.