Therapist profile
Susan Shafer, LCMHC, LPC
Licensed counselor - Family and parenting concerns
Continue with SusanAbout
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Mindfulness practices
About Susan
Susan Shafer is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with about 15 years of clinical experience. She is based in New Jersey and works with adults on concerns such as anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, parenting stress, and life transitions.
Susan uses a client-centered approach in sessions. She focuses on listening closely and helping people identify practical steps they can try between meetings. She mixes techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness to help with thought patterns, mood, sleep, and daily coping skills.
Her work often includes attention to how the body and mind interact. She may introduce simple breath-based exercises and movement to help reduce arousal and increase present-moment awareness. She also incorporates motivational interviewing ideas to support change and goal setting when people are ready to try different behaviors.
Susan has experience across settings and with varied concerns, including attention challenges, addictions, relationship and family difficulties, impulse control, and career or financial stress. She also addresses issues such as abandonment, attachment, codependency, and coping after disaster.
Practical tools and short-term strategies are part of her style. She aims to help clients notice patterns in thoughts and actions, practice new ways of responding, and track progress over time. If someone wants to explore body-focused methods, she can explain how techniques like tapping and gentle yoga practices may fit with other work in therapy.
How sessions work
Therapeutic approaches and how they translate online
Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and collaboration. The therapist follows the client's lead, reflects concerns back, and helps clarify goals. This approach is useful for people who want a gentle, paced process to talk through family tensions, parenting stress, or life changes.Cognitive behavioral therapy identifies thought and behavior patterns that keep problems going. It uses short experiments and homework to test new ways of thinking and acting. CBT can help with anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and impulse control by giving concrete tools to practice between sessions.
Mindfulness therapy focuses on simple awareness of thoughts and body sensations. It includes brief breath work and attention practices to reduce reactivity and improve sleep and stress management. These techniques are practical for everyday moments when parenting or caregiving becomes overwhelming.
Finding the best approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences and suggest a mix of methods that fit those priorities. Sessions may shift over time as needs change, for example moving from problem-solving to maintenance work.
Session formats are not specified in this profile, so confirm available online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit counseling into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and avoid travel time. The focus remains on applying the same practical tools and exercises you would expect in person, adapted to work in your daily routine.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
15+ years
Listed in
North Carolina, New Jersey
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
Susan works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, parenting strain, grief, ADHD, and related mood and relationship concerns.
How would she approach my situation?
She uses a client-centered style combined with CBT and mindfulness. Sessions focus on identifying patterns, testing small changes, and building practical coping skills.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has about 15 years of experience providing counseling in a variety of settings.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She holds the credentials LCMHC and LPC and practices from New Jersey.
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are offered?
Session formats are not specified here; please confirm current online and in-person options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Costs vary with location and services. Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session when prompted.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.