Susan Trefts , LCSW, LICSW

Susan Trefts is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, and low self-esteem. She works with concerns many women raise, such as body image, self-love, and compassion fatigue. Her style is respectful and steady, focusing on what each person already brings to the process.

She uses listening and reflective conversation to help clients make sense of hard experiences. Susan treats trauma and abuse, grief and loss, and post-traumatic stress with care and patience. She encourages practical steps people can try between sessions to build confidence and reduce distress.

Susan draws on Client-Centered Therapy to keep the work grounded in each person's values and goals. She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques for emotional regulation and coping skills when people are overwhelmed. Together these approaches aim to help people feel more grounded and capable.

With 21 years of experience, Susan blends empathy with real-world strategies. She supports people working through communication problems, guilt, forgiveness, and questions about life purpose. Sessions focus on simple, usable tools rather than jargon.

Susan is licensed in Oregon and Washington as an LCSW and LICSW. She invites people who are ready to take a step toward feeling better to consider what small changes might fit their life and needs.

Approaches you can use in online sessions

Susan offers two practical approaches that fit well into remote care. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building goals that matter to the person. It helps people who need space to tell their story and decide what changes to try.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, provides concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal communication. Those tools can be useful for managing intense feelings, improving boundaries, and handling conflict or overwhelm.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will help identify which methods best match a client's needs, goals, and preferences. Sessions can shift as progress is made, combining listening and skill building in a collaborative way.

Online therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to make care easier to fit into life. Video is good for deeper conversation and nonverbal connection. Phone can be simpler when bandwidth is low or a camera feels uncomfortable. Live chat and text messaging can work for brief check-ins, follow-up thoughts, and practicing new skills between meetings.