Sue (pronouns: she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker in the states of California, Illinois and Ohio.  She received her master's degree in social work from the Jane Adams School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago in 2000 and a bachelor's degree in social work at Illinois State University in 1998.  In the past, she has worked in foster care, group homes, residential treatment centers and community mental health settings.  For over 10 years, Sue worked for one of the leading psychiatric facilities in the nation, Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital.   While being part of a group practice from 2009 to 2015, she opened her own private practice in October 2014.  After building a successful practice in the Chicagoland area, Sue moved her practice to San Diego in 2019. 

Sue is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, a member of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and the International Association of Trauma Professionals. In December 2022, she joined the Board of Directors of OCD SoCal, the local IOCDF affiliate, which was created to increase awareness and improve access to treatment for OCD and related disorders throughout Southern California.   Sue founded and facilitates a Peer OCD Consultation group for clinicians in Southern California that treat OCD. In addition to the support that she enjoys providing to clinicians who treat OCD, she also helps facilitate a monthly support group for people living with OCD.  For more information on this support group, click here

Sue’s Approach

Generally, Sue uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness techniques to create lasting change. Drawing on her training and years of experience she will help you assess your particular situation and create an effective and understandable treatment plan. Becoming aware of thought processes and learning to change unhelpful thinking patterns is an important part of the therapy. In treating anxiety disorders, including OCD, Sue has trained in multiple settings, including The Behavioral TherapyTraining Institute (BTTI) with IOCDF in using CBT/ERP (Exposure Response Prevention).  Sue has also trained in ACT in multiple settings which includes ongoing consultation.  In addition to these behavioral approaches to treating OCD, Sue has also done multiple trainings in Inference Based CBT, a cognitive approach to treating OCD. Sue is also specially trained to treat Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), an OCD spectrum disorder, which requires a combination of intensive CBT and ERP, specifically tailored for BDD. Sue has specialized training and ongoing consultation in Prolonged Exposure, an evidence-based treatment for PTSD.  She is also trained in CBT for Insomnia.

Sue's goal is to use the most appropriate, research-based counseling approaches based on the presenting concern, the needs of the client, and therapeutic opportunities and limitations.  She believes that effective therapy is based upon ongoing clarity of expectations and shared responsibility.

Sue is committed to creating an environment that supports inclusivity and respect for all people regardless of race, color, culture, religion, spiritual practice, sex, age, national origin, physical and mental abilities, and socioeconomic status.  Sue has also made it a priority to create a safe and inclusive space with an affirmative perspective, to effectively work with Gender, Sexuality & Relationship Diversity (GSRD) people. 

What does Sue enjoy doing? In her off-time, Sue enjoys traveling, sitting on the beach listening to waves, hiking, comedy clubs, going to the theatre and musical productions, baking and ruining recipes, spending time with friends and family, and taking her dog for long walks.