Susan Mellema, LCSW

Susan Mellema is a licensed clinical social worker with 30 years of experience helping people navigate addictions, family conflict, trauma and abuse, and grief. She is licensed in Illinois and holds the LCSW credential - Licensed Clinical Social Worker - reflecting extensive training in mental health and social support.

Susan approaches work from the belief that each person is the expert in their own life and carries strengths that can be used to meet challenges. She emphasizes empowerment and collaboration, offering steady support as individuals take the often-difficult first steps toward a more satisfying and resilient life. Her experience includes work with parenting and blended family issues, adoption and foster care concerns, caregiver stress, codependency, substance use, and family-of-origin dynamics.

Susan helps people who are coping with the fallout of divorce or separation, the emotional impact of serious illness, and complex feelings such as guilt, shame, or forgiveness. She brings practical, strengths-based guidance and a patient, encouraging presence to sessions, helping clients identify manageable goals and build on what already works for them.

Therapeutic approaches for online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the person rather than the problem, offering a respectful, nonjudgmental space where clients explore their values, choices, and strengths. This approach can help with relationship difficulties, identity concerns, and the emotional effects of life transitions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people identify unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and develop practical strategies to shift them. CBT can be useful for anxiety, depressive symptoms, coping with loss, and managing cravings or substance-related triggers.

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, goal-oriented style that supports people in resolving ambivalence and strengthening their own motivation for change. It often helps clients working on addictions, health behavior changes, or readiness for new parenting or caregiving approaches.

Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the work. Susan will collaborate with each person to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting the plan as progress develops.

Online therapy with Susan is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, providing flexibility for busy schedules, caregiving responsibilities, and geographic constraints. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care and to access support when it is needed most.