Sue (Susie) Swartz, LMFT

Sue (Susie) Swartz is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) based in California who helps people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, and life changes. She works with those coping with addictions, relationship and parenting concerns, and people navigating caregiving or aging and geriatric issues. Her style centers on practical change and building on what already works for each person.

She uses a client-centered stance to connect people with their own strengths and values. Sue blends methods from cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy to help people notice unhelpful patterns and take concrete steps forward. She also draws on attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationships shape current responses.

Her work pays attention to how trauma and loss alter daily life. She has substantial background in crisis intervention and victim advocacy, which informs how she supports people through intense distress and grief. Sessions focus on small, doable changes rather than quick fixes.

With ten years of clinical experience, she aims to build a trusting, honest relationship with each client. That relationship is the place where people try new ways of coping and managing emotions. She emphasizes steady progress and realistic goals.

Sue invites people to explore patterns of thinking, behavior, and attachment that get in the way of wellbeing. She helps clients create routines and strategies that fit their daily life and values. The process is collaborative and paced to the person’s needs.

If someone is unsure where to start, Sue encourages beginning with small steps and clear, measurable goals. Her approach is practical, relational, and focused on sustainable change over time.

How Sue’s Approaches Shape Online Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice what matters to them and take small actions toward those values, even when emotions are difficult. It is useful for anxiety, low mood, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with real-world experiments, which helps reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve daily routines. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at relational patterns that developed early in life and how those patterns affect current relationships and coping; it can be helpful for relationship difficulties and patterns that repeat over time.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Sue collaborates with each person to choose methods that fit their goals and preferences. She may combine elements from different approaches to match what a person needs in the moment and over time.

Practical benefits of online therapy should be confirmed with the therapist before booking, since session formats were not specified in the biography. In general, online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. These practical options can help people keep consistent progress while balancing caregiving, work, or health concerns.