Susan Bowes, LCSW

Susan Bowes is a licensed clinical social worker with 15 years of experience helping people facing grief, LGBT concerns, and low self-esteem. She supports those coping with major life changes and the strain of compassion fatigue. Her approach is warm and direct, and she encourages small steps that people can manage between sessions.

She aims to build an open, nonjudgmental space so clients can speak about painful feelings. Sessions focus on practical strategies for coping with loss, managing guilt and shame, and finding more self-compassion. She also addresses issues around chronic pain, illness, and disability when these affect everyday life.

Susan explains options clearly and works together with clients to set realistic goals. Conversations often include identifying unhelpful patterns, trying simple new behaviors, and rehearsing different ways to respond to stress. She pays attention to how control issues, forgiveness, and sexual identity affect someone’s sense of purpose and self-love.

Her style is collaborative and grounded in techniques shown to help change thinking and behavior. She invites people to bring small, concrete problems from their week to work on in session. That way progress can be seen over time rather than promised all at once.

Based in Illinois, Susan encourages anyone ready to take a first step to complete the short matching questionnaire and schedule a session. She notes that starting therapy takes courage and validates that choice.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Two evidence-based techniques often used with the issues Susan addresses are brief cognitive-behavioral methods and behavioral activation. Cognitive-behavioral methods help identify unhelpful thoughts and test them against evidence, which can ease guilt, shame, and negative self-talk. Behavioral activation focuses on small, concrete actions that increase meaningful activity and improve mood when people are coping with loss or low motivation.

Another helpful approach is skills-based coping for compassion fatigue and chronic illness. This involves learning specific ways to manage stress, set boundaries, and conserve energy so daily demands feel more manageable. These methods are practical and aim to change what people do as well as how they think about problems.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, try options, and adjust the plan based on what works for the client. Clients and therapist decide together which techniques to emphasize and how quickly to move between them.

Session formats are not detailed in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten travel time, and allow for flexible scheduling during work breaks or caregiving routines. It can also make brief check-ins simpler when a focused follow-up is helpful.