- Psychodynamic rooted
- Solution-focused steps
- Hypnotherapy tools
About Susan
Susan Schwerd is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland with 24 years of experience. She helps people manage anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, stress, and problems with sleep and anger. She also supports people facing chronic illness, cancer, traumatic brain injury, and coping with natural or human-caused disaster.
She combines a psychodynamic foundation with practical, goal-focused tools. Sessions aim to identify patterns that keep someone stuck and to create new ways of responding to everyday challenges. Susan also uses hypnotherapy and solution-focused techniques when they fit a person's goals.
Before private practice she worked in outpatient mental health settings, including roles as an assistant clinical director. She also spent a decade as a corporate human resources director, which informs her coaching for career and productivity concerns.
In practice she often adds adjunct methods such as clinical hypnosis, neurofeedback, and eye movement integration to complement talk therapy. Online clients can learn self-hypnosis and breathing exercises to help manage chronic pain and anxiety.
Susan describes her style as active and eclectic. She works with each person to clarify what they want to change and then tries simple, practical steps toward those goals. Sessions are intended to be collaborative and outcome-minded, helping clients make steady progress.
To start, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.
How Susan's approaches translate to online therapy
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on understanding patterns that come from past experiences and how they affect current feelings and relationships. Online sessions use conversation to uncover those patterns and apply insight to make different choices in daily life.Solution-Focused Therapy looks at clear goals and small steps that lead to change. In online work this approach helps people try practical techniques between sessions and track what works for them.
Hypnotherapy in this practice involves guided relaxation and focused attention to teach self-hypnosis and breathing techniques. These tools can be useful for managing anxiety and chronic pain and are taught as skills a person can use outside sessions.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist discusses goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, and adjusts methods as progress is made. Clients and the therapist decide together when to emphasize insight, short-term solutions, or skill-building techniques.
Sessions are offered by live video and by phone according to the therapist's stated practice. If you are unsure which option works best for your routine, confirm the current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow practice of skills like breathing and self-hypnosis between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
24+ years
Credentials
Maryland
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
Susan supports people with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, bipolar disorder, anger, grief, sleep problems, career concerns, and coping with life changes. She also focuses on chronic pain, cancer, traumatic brain injury, and coping with natural or human-caused disaster.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her approach is psychodynamic at its core with an active, eclectic style. She blends insight into patterns with solution-focused steps and hypnotherapy techniques when appropriate.
How much experience does she have?
She has been practicing since 1999, which amounts to 24 years of clinical experience in outpatient settings and private practice.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She holds the LCPC credential (Maryland) and provides services from Maryland.
Which languages are supported and can international clients be seen?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are used?
Live video and phone sessions are used, and the therapist will respond to a few messages between sessions. She does not conduct therapy via live chat or messaging for full sessions.
How does payment or cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to the therapist's availability.