About Susan
Susan Richey is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California with ten years of clinical experience. She helps people coping with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship difficulties, and major life changes.
Background and approach
Her manner is warm and interactive, and she avoids labels that feel stigmatizing. She combines practical techniques and reflective conversation to fit each person's needs.
Sessions often include skills to manage anxiety and low mood alongside deeper work about patterns in relationships and communication. Susan uses evidence-based methods drawn from cognitive-behavioral ideas, humanistic perspectives, and psychodynamic thinking to guide the process.
Therapy with her is collaborative. She listens first, then suggests clear steps clients can practice between sessions.
That might mean learning new ways to speak up, rebuilding confidence after loss, or finding routines that ease daily stress. Susan frames challenges as opportunities for change rather than fixed problems.
She focuses on small, steady shifts people can use right away. Conversations are respectful, direct, and aimed at helping clients feel more capable in their everyday lives.
Her background in marriage and family therapy informs an interest in relationships and communication. She adapts each plan to what the person brings to the room, tailoring tools and goals to be realistic and useful.
Approaches that guide online therapy
Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral techniques focus on identifying unhelpful thinking and building practical tools to manage anxiety, low mood, and stress. These techniques teach concrete exercises people can use between sessions to reduce symptoms and test new ways of coping.Humanistic approaches emphasize listening, empathy, and supporting personal growth. This style helps people connect to their values, build self-compassion, and make meaningful changes at their own pace.
Psychodynamic ideas look at recurring patterns and past influences that affect current relationships and feelings. Exploring those patterns can help people understand why they react a certain way and choose different responses over time.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to pick methods that fit their goals, preferences, and life situation. Together they adjust the plan as progress and needs evolve.
Online sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to match different situations. Video is useful for a face-to-face rhythm, phone sessions need less bandwidth, live chat can fit quick check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy days and to keep steady momentum toward goals.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Susan address in therapy?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What credentials and location should I know about?
Are sessions offered in other languages or internationally?
Which session formats are available?
How does payment and cost work?
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
Also works with
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English