Susan earned her MA in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Illinois University. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with more than 30 years of experience working with children, teens, young adults, and their families. Susan started her career as an addiction therapist in Bloomington, IL, worked as a clinician at Kiefer school/Children’s Home in Peoria, and most recently worked as a School Based Therapist for Fieldcrest CUSD#6 before joining the team at Balanced. Susan uses a trauma informed approach and draws from a variety of therapeutic tools including cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy, mindfulness, and animal assisted therapy. She has a registered therapy dog, Aksel, that often works with her to help meet client needs. Susan’s overall goal as a therapist is to empower all of her clients to improve their mental health and build more fulfilling lives.