LMFTTherapists

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JS Portrait of Janice Susman

Janice Susman, LMFT

Practical guidance for steadying life and mood

About Janice

Janice Susman is a licensed marriage and family therapist practicing in California. She brings 30 years of experience and a straightforward approach to helping people who feel stuck by stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, or depression.

Background and approach

Janice focuses on practical steps people can use right away to feel steadier. She sees motivation and confidence as skills that can be rebuilt.

Sessions often center on clear, small goals and realistic next steps. Janice encourages clients to name what they want to change and then practice new responses between meetings.

Communication problems and relationship concerns are common topics she addresses. She also helps people navigate divorce and separation, forgiveness, and the isolation that follows big life shifts.

Janice listens for patterns that keep problems repeating and offers ways to interrupt them. Post-traumatic stress, social anxiety and phobia, and struggles with guilt and shame are part of her caseload.

She supports people working on life purpose and self-love as they move through transitions. Her tone is supportive and direct, aimed at practical progress rather than long explanations.

Janice believes clients know their own story best and that therapy is a collaborative process. She helps people discover strengths they can use to meet challenges.

For those ready to take a first step, she offers guided support and concrete tools to build a more manageable life.

Using CBT tools online for clearer thinking and better coping

Janice uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. CBT breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions, and teaches simple techniques people can use between sessions to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and tackle social fears.

She emphasizes practical steps and clear goals during online work. Together the therapist and client decide which techniques to try and adjust the plan as progress is made. This collaborative approach helps match methods to each person’s needs and preferences.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls let people keep visual contact and use screen sharing for worksheets. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging can be useful for brief check-ins, ongoing support, and practicing skills during the week. These options make therapy more flexible and easier to fit into a busy life.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, relationship challenges, and coping with life changes. Additional focus areas include communication problems, divorce and separation, forgiveness, guilt and shame, isolation, life purpose, post-traumatic stress, self-love, and social anxiety and phobia.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her work is practical and goal-focused. Sessions emphasize small steps, skill building, and practicing new responses between meetings.
How much experience does she have?
She has 30 years of professional experience supporting people through mood and life challenges.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist - LMFT - licensed in California.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as options for meeting.
How does billing and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button and completing a short matching questionnaire, then schedule based on therapist availability.