Susan Charney

Susan Charney is a licensed clinical social worker with 26 years of practice in Arizona. She helps people facing relationship strain, anxiety, depression, grief, parenting stress, and career or life transitions. Her style is warm and down-to-earth, aimed at practical steps people can use between sessions.

Susan uses mindfulness to help people notice thoughts and feelings without getting overwhelmed. She also draws on client-centered methods that keep the conversation focused on what matters to the individual. Cognitive behavioral techniques are used when people want concrete tools to shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.

In a typical session she listens closely, asks plain questions, and helps set small, achievable goals. Clients work on clearer communication, managing stress, improving self-esteem, or sorting through the aftermath of trauma and loss. The emphasis is on steady progress rather than quick fixes.

Her background includes long-term work with people navigating midlife changes, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and blended family challenges. That experience informs how she tailors strategies to each person’s life and responsibilities.

Susan describes her work as collaborative and respectful. People leave sessions with practical options to try, whether that means new coping routines, communication practices, or steps toward career clarity. Prospective clients should note she practices in Arizona and conducts sessions in English.

How her approaches translate to online work

Susan commonly combines mindfulness practice and client-centered conversation in sessions. Mindfulness therapy involves simple attention and breathing practices and short exercises that help people notice stress, manage anxiety, and slow down reactivity. Client-centered therapy focuses the session on the person’s priorities and uses open listening and reflection to help people find their own solutions.

She also uses cognitive behavioral ideas to help people identify unhelpful thought patterns and try small behavioral experiments. These techniques give concrete steps for reducing anxiety, improving mood, or changing relationship patterns. Together these approaches aim to balance awareness with action, and the choice of methods is guided by each person’s goals.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Susan will talk with each person about their needs and preferences and suggest which methods to try. That choice is collaborative and may shift as progress is made.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session formats before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so therapy fits around work or caregiving obligations.