- Stress and anxiety
- Trauma and grief
- DBT and client-centered
About Susan
Susan Trefts is an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and LICSW with 21 years of professional experience, licensed in Oregon and Washington. She works with people facing stress and anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, low self-esteem, compassion fatigue, and questions about life purpose.
Susan centers sessions on the client's own knowledge of their life. She treats clients as the expert on their story and looks for existing strengths to build on. Sessions focus on practical steps people can use between meetings to notice change and test next moves.
Her style draws on client-centered therapy, which emphasizes listening and reflecting to help people clarify what matters next. She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills when managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, or building better emotion regulation.
Typical conversations include sorting through what’s causing stress, handling grief and loss, and working on confidence and self-regard. She also addresses body image, communication problems, guilt and shame, forgiveness, post-traumatic stress, self-love, and women’s issues as part of those concerns.
Susan encourages small, concrete experiments in life outside sessions. She helps people try new ways of coping, notice what works, and change plans when needed. Those practical steps are meant to help someone who feels stuck find clearer next moves and greater steadiness as they decide what matters next.
How her approaches translate to online work
Susan combines client-centered listening with practical DBT skills when working online. Client-centered therapy focuses on careful listening and reflecting so a person can clarify what matters and decide next steps. DBT provides concrete emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills to manage strong feelings or repeated patterns.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. She will work with each person to identify goals, test what helps, and adjust methods as needs and preferences become clearer. That means trying different skill sets and small experiments until a workable fit is found.
Confirm the session formats offered before booking so you know how meetings are arranged. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when a quick follow-up is needed. They can also let people practice new skills in real life between meetings. Ask about current session options and scheduling when you complete the matching questionnaire.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
21+ years
Listed in
Washington, Oregon
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem, and compassion fatigue, plus related areas like body image and life purpose.
How would she approach feeling stuck or directionless?
She uses client-centered conversations to clarify what matters and DBT skills for managing strong emotions, then helps set small practical steps to try between sessions.
How much experience does she bring?
She has 21 years of professional experience working with the issues listed in her profile.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds LCSW and LICSW credentials and is licensed in Oregon and Washington, practicing from Oregon.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people from other countries work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions paid for and what do they cost?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What steps do I take to begin working together?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the crisis numbers.